Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sent a personalized hoodie to Rays manager Joe Maddon recently. Major League Baseball told Maddon last week that he could keep wearing his favorite article of clothing in the dugout after initially banning it. The jacket he sent Maddon has "J.M." on the front. "It's quite an accomplishment, quite an achievement to get something from a coach who's won the Super Bowl," Maddon said. He plans to send Belichick a personalized Rays hoodie.

Patriots rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez failed at least one drug test at Florida, causing his draft stock to fail, according to a report in the Boston Globe. New England drafted him in the fourth round. The report stated that Hernandez pasted his drug test at the NFL combine, meaning he won't begin his career in the league's substance-abuse program.

The Jets are showing some interest in free-agent linebacker Adalius Thomas. New England released Thomas after three disappointing seasons on Monday. Thomas was the highest-priced free-agent acquisition in the Patriots' history, signing a five-year, $35 million contract in 2007.

The New England Patriots have released former Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas, according to a report on ESPN.com. Thomas, 32, was Patriots coach Bill Belichick's biggest offseason signing in 2007, when he agreed to a five-year, $35 million contract. He played in 39 games from 2007-2009 for the Patriots and had 14 1/2 sacks. With the Ravens from 2000-2006, Thomas had 38 1/2 sacks. The ESPN.com story says that Thomas would like to be reunited with his former Ravens defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan, coach of the New York Jets.

The Patriots signed former Raiders tackle Gerald Warren on Saturday. New England coach Bill Belichick announced the move after the NFL draft. Warren, the third overall pick in the 2001 draft, was released on March 11. "We've talked with him off and on, and we just were able to work that out," Belichick said. "He's been a very productive player through the course of his career, especially in recent years."

The Patriots have reached an agreement on a one-year contract with wide receiver Torry Holt, according to a source. According to ESPN.com's John Clayton, the contract could be worth as much as $1.7 million.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick says that the team has been getting a lot of calls about their second-round picks. New England has three second-round selections (Nos. 44, 47, 53). "That isn't surprising to me," Belichick said of the inquiries. "I'm not saying that anything will or won't happen. I think that's pretty common at this point in the process, a week or so before the draft, where you start to talk to teams and try to get a feel for whether they would or wouldn't be interested in moving a particular pick. It expedites the process a little bit when you get to draft day."

The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia is scheduled to hear oral arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit arising from the Patriots' secret videotaping of Jets coaches in a game at Giants Stadium in 2007. The suit was filed by a Jets season ticket holder who also is an attorney in New Jersey, and it claims the Patriots' actions "violated the contractual expectations and rights of New York Jets ticketholders" who paid to watch a game played in compliance with the league's rules. Carl Mayer's lawsuit asserts that because other teams also found illicit videotaping by the defendants, Jets ticketholders should be compensated for all games played in Giants Stadium between the Jets and Patriots since Bill Belichick became head coach in 2000.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick believes that the new schedule for the NFL Draft will bring about different tactics. The draft will be held on three days, with the first round on Day One, the second and third on Day Two and the remainder on Day Three. "I kind of think the second round will now be like the first round," Belichick said. "Take those [top] 32 players out of there, whoever they are, now you're starting all over again for that second round. And I can see it being approached more as that first round. "In the past, you kind of rolled into that round. Now, to actually stop and have the whole night to sit there and think about it and talk to other teams and develop a new strategy. Everybody does that on the second day; now we have three days. It's a different dynamic."

Minnesota wide receiver Eric Decker will visit with the Patriots, according to a report by the National Football Post. Decker is also scheduled to meet with the Broncos and Chiefs, where New England coach Bill Belichick has proteges in Josh McDaniels and Charlie Weis.