“That’s an unfortunate side of the business, but I’m happy to be here.”
Mack Hollins renegotiated his contract ahead of the 2026 season. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
September 16, 2026
3 minutes to read
With A.J. Brown now sidelined for at least a month due to a high ankle sprain, the Patriots are going to have to rely on players like Mack Hollins more than ever to keep their passing game afloat over a significant stretch of the season.
Given Hollins’ elevated role moving forward amid Brown’s injury, the Patriots are likely breathing a sigh of relief that the 33-year-old wideout adjusted his contract going into the year.
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti posted this week that the Patriots changed some of the bonus incentives in Hollins’ contract — making it harder for the veteran to attain certain goals that would secure him a hefty chunk of additional change.
Whereas Hollins previously needed just 30 receptions to secure a $300,000 bonus, that has now been changed to 47 catches for the 2026 campaign.
The threshold for another $300,000 bonus increased from 40 to 50 receptions, while another $400,000 bonus went from 50 to 55 catches.
It’s a tough break for Hollins, given that he’d have to put together a career year to come close to reaching that first $300,000 payout, let alone the $1 million total bonus package.
In total, Hollins has only surpassed 50 catches once in his career. Last season, he totaled 46 catches for 550 yards and two touchdowns in his first year in New England.
Speaking to the media Wednesday at Gillette Stadium, Hollins was asked whether those contract tweaks motivate him even more to hit those harder-to-reach incentives.
“Yeah, I’d say it does,” Hollins said. “Makes you wanna come out and work, but not any harder than I already work. That’s an unfortunate side of the business, but I’m happy to be here.”
Given that his reworked deal now makes it tougher for him to collect his performance bonus, Hollins was asked what made him open to reworking that deal with New England.
I wouldn’t say, like, nobody wants to change anything,” Hollins responded. “But that’s sometimes what happens.”
Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald later spoke with Hollins to discuss those negotiations and what the potential consequences might of been had he not changed those incentives in his deal to benefit the team.
“That’s kind of how it works. That’s the risk that you run,” Hollins told Kyed. “It’s like, ‘Hey, you could take this offer, or we could potentially cut you.’ They’re not saying, like — that’s the business.
“So, it could go either way. Like, I’m happy to be here. My goal is to go hit all those incentives. It doesn’t matter whatever you put them at. I’m gonna go try to hit them, and it’ll be water under the bridge.”
Had Hollins been cut, it would have freed up $3.8 million in cap space before Week 1 of the season. New England already subtracting from its wideout room last month when it traded Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans.
New England might wish it had kept a potent deep threat in Boutte, especially now that the Patriots will be without Brown for at least 4-6 games.
But New England’s current depth concerns would have been far worse had Hollins not opted to play ball with the team and rework his deal — especially if the Patriots then decided to cut ties with the veteran.
Instead, Hollins is seemingly poised to step up as one of Drake Maye’s top targets moving forward — which could also boost his odds of hitting those new bonuses.
“It’s the National Football League. They’re going to play 11 guys out there on offense, no matter who’s up, who’s down,” Hollins said. “Obviously, A.J.’s a great player, and we would love to have him, but he’s not there, so there’s nothing you can do but dress 11 and get ready to work.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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