Patriots Rookie Receives Mentorship From Franchise Great

New England Patriots predecessors have set a high bar for one newcomer to clear.

Andy Borregales will look to become the next mainstay kicker for an organization that enjoyed decades of reliability from Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski. The sixth-round pick has received guidance from one of those icons.

Borregales said on Friday, per NBC Sports Boston, that he’s spoken to Gostkowski throughout the season.

“We’ve texted here and there, and hopped on a call here and there again,” Borregales said. “Really just trying to pick his brain, especially in this place here [in New England] and just mentally because he did it at a very high level for a very long time. That’s just a great person to lean on as a mentor. Just trying to pick his brain as much as possible.”

According to the Boston Globe’s Christopher Price, Gostkowski reached out to Borregales after New England’s Week 1 loss.

“What’s good, my friend? Feel free to call or text any time,” Gostkowski told Borregales in a text message.

Gostkowski can offer plenty of kicking wisdom to Borregales. The two-time All-Pro made 87.4 percent of his field goals in 14 seasons with the Patriots before concluding his career with New England’s Week 7 opponent, the Tennessee Titans, in 2020.

Ranked second to Vinatieri on New England’s all-time points leaderboard, Gostkowski won three Super Bowls with head coach Bill Belichick. He’s now working Sunday’s game as an analyst for USA Radio.

Perhaps Gostkowski’s advice has helped Borregales, who found his footing after a bumpy start. Borregales missed a field goal in his NFL debut and two extra points in Week 2, but he’s since converted all 12 point-after tries and four field goals.

Borregales played the hero in a monumental Week 5 win over the Buffalo Bills, draining a 52-yard field goal to break a tie with 15 seconds remaining. He appears to have locked down the job entering Sunday’s game at Tennessee.