In the spring of 2025, Rhamondre Stevenson was noticeably absent from the New England Patriots‘ voluntary workouts. The reason was deeply personal: the passing of his father, Robert Stevenson, at the age of 54. Robert had been a steadfast supporter throughout Rhamondre’s journey, from his early days in Las Vegas to his rise in the NFL.

Their bond was evident; Rhamondre once shared that his only pre-game ritual was reading a text from his parents wishing him luck. Inside the Patriots’ building, no one questioned the absence. Everyone understood the weight of what Stevenson had lost — not just a parent, but a lifelong supporter who’d been there through the roughest patches of his journey. From the junior college fields of Southern California to part-time jobs at Walmart and Jimmy John’s, Robert Stevenson believed in his son’s path even when it wasn’t clear where that path would lead.

It’s not just another year for Stevenson, either. He’s entering his fifth NFL season, a contract year, and one that figures to define his future in New England. After three seasons of sharing the backfield and shouldering uneven offensive production, he’s expected to be the featured back in Mike Vrabel’s first year as head coach. But Vrabel isn’t rushing anything. Not after the spring Stevenson has had.

Now that the Patriots have started their OTAs on May 19th, Mike Vrabel just shed light on the RB’s future with the team. “We’re extremely excited to have him with us, have been in constant communication with him and obviously thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they heal and they grieve and want to be a part of that to help him and get to know him,” Vrabel said when asked about Stevenson’s overall value for the franchise. “I met him early on, and then he went back, and now those conversations have just been over the telephone.” 

After a productive draft last month, the Patriots kicked off the OTAs on Monday. And if we take a look at the Patriots’ roster, it looks like Mike Vrabel and Co. are getting rid of last season’s woes, especially on their O-line. At first, they signed Stefon Diggs to bolster their receiving corp. Then came the draft week, and they drafted one of the best offensive players of this year’s class—Will Campbell, along with the RB TreVeyon Henderson.

To make it more interesting, Stevenson will now enter the fifth season of his career as the team’s top option in the backfield. “When you start to evaluate just this season and you watch the effort that he played with, when he didn’t have the football, he played extremely fast without the football,” Vrabel added.

“His ability to step up and protect is taking care of a teammate, is protecting the guy with the ball… You always saw him downfield when he didn’t have the ball. So he’s going to be a large part of what we do.” The running back started 14 games out of 15 appearances in the last season and rushed for 801 yards with 3.9 yards per carry and racked up 7 TDs.

Sure, he missed out on the Patriots’ voluntary workouts after the family tragedy, but Mike Vrabel is confident that Stevenson will take a more mature role in the outfield once he gets back.

Mike Vrabel’s RB mourns his role model

Rhamondre Stevenson’s NFL journey has been anything but straightforward. The guy struggled to qualify for a college football program due to his academic issues. And get this, the running back was out there working at Wal-Mart and Jimmy John’s for $10 an hour, all while chasing his football dreams. But Stevenson had the support of his dad and mom.

Stevenson played for a couple of seasons at Cerritos College before transferring to the University of Oklahoma. He played just 6 games for the Oklahoma Sooners and rushed for 665 yards. The result? The Patriots drafted him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft. And the RB gives all the credit to his dad and mom. “They believed in me more than I believed in myself,” he once said about his parents.

Stevenson’s dad, Robert Stevenson, and mom, Juran, kept a low profile and were away from the spotlight. However, the 27-year-old running back has been vocal about his parents’ role in his upbringing. He once sat down with his mom for an interview when she asked about his game-day ritual. “Reading a text from you and dad,” he replied.“Just telling me good luck and do my thing out there – that’s the only ritual I have.”

And when his mom asked who his role model was while growing up, Stevenson didn’t waste a single moment naming his parents as his role models. “My role models were my mom and dad,” Mike Vrabel’s running back said. “They always worked hard for everything they had, and they did whatever they could for us.” 

However, the RB is going through a tough phase of his life as he lost his dad at the age of 54. His teammates stated that they are providing as much support to Stevenson as he heals with his family after the tragic loss, before he gets back on the roster ahead of the 2025 season.