March 5, 2015
The New England Patriots made two announcements on Thursday. One, most likely, did not make Patriots fans very happy. That was the announcement that New England would not pick up the option on Vince Wilfork’s contract. The 11-year veteran, all with the Patriots, will now be a free agent. The other news of the day was much less significant, but much better for most fans. The team announced ticket prices would remain unchanged following the Super Bowl victory.
A letter from team owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft was sent to season ticket holders earlier in the week. Part of the letter read:
"Thank you, once again, for your amazing support of our franchise and creating the energy and excitement throughout the season that helped us do our jobs and achieve our goals. We are already counting down the days until we unveil our fourth Super Bowl Championship banner with all our Season Ticket Members and look forward to another memorable night at Gillette Stadium to kick off the 2015 season."
The letter also touched on variable pricing that will remain in effect for the Pats 2015 season. The letter noted there was a positive response to the variable pricing implemented for the first time in 2014, so it will be kept with the overall prices not changing.
There were also mentions of enhancements that will be in place at Gillette Stadium by the start of the 2015 season. Those include a new lounge at the field level, an expansion of the pedestrian bridge under the lighthouse and a fantasy zone.
On the secondary market, Patriots tickets had an average price of $292, which was the third most expensive average in the NFL. For the 2015 season, the Patriots will host AFC East rivals, the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers.
