FOXBORO >> Weeks after signing a franchise record four-year, $104 million contract in free agency, Milton Williams ran sprints at the start of the Patriots’ offseason program.

Toward the end, Williams pulled ahead of most of his surrounding teammates on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. Then he eyed the clock showing he was well ahead of the time to beat. He slowed down and cruised across the finish line.

Watching Williams run, Mike Vrabel got hot and chastised his star pass rusher for not sprinting to the end.

“He called me out and let me know, like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna be here, you need to set the standard,’ ” Williams said Tuesday at Gillette Stadium.

Vrabel’s message: “If you can make it faster, make it.”

It left an impression on Williams.

“Every rep since then, I just try to make sure I’m the first one back,” he said. “I feel like that’s going to help me, push me to where I want to be. The guys that are running with me, that’s going to push them even harder.”

Williams, 26, is the rock upon which Vrabel is rebuilding the Patriots’ defense and — to some extent — their program. Before Williams can create pressure on Sundays this fall, he’s been a regular at the offseason program that just entered its sixth week. His presence, as the highest-paid player in franchise history by average annual value, is notable in that it reinforces Vrabel’s culture. By contrast, after the Patriots signed Pro Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon to a rich four-year deal back in 2021, he did not attend voluntary team activities that spring.

Last season, Williams was the best player in the Super Bowl and NFC Championship Game, totaling eight pressures, two sacks, a forced fumble and a couple pass deflections for the Eagles. He is hoping to form a similarly ferocious defensive line with Christian Barmore, who has also been a regular in Foxboro. Williams said the two have been competing to see who can show up first at the facility in the morning.

As for Vrabel’s demanding style during a time of voluntary workouts and meetings, Williams said it suits him.

“I like that. I don’t mind. I don’t think I’m bigger than the next person. I don’t mind being called out,” he said. “Him calling me out is just going to help the other guys. We ain’t got no excuses for nobody to not be giving their all.”

Maye’s competitive spirit

As the Patriots head into the 2025 season with a new head coach and upgraded roster, there’s no question who will be starting at quarterback.

That’s different from last season, when Drake Maye, then a rookie, was competing for the top spot with Jacoby Brissett. Brissett, who started the first five games of the season, is now gone, which frees up Maye to take on a more commanding leadership role.

That’s shown through early in the offseason workout program with Maye pushing his teammates during drills. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was moving a weight sled next to Maye this spring, and the starting QB pushed him to go longer.

“The confidence is there, maybe even more confidence,” Bourne said. “He’s just, obviously he’s gonna be in a new system. So I think he’s in that process. He’s learning. But the confidence is there. Drake is a competitor. When we do certain things, like his competitive spirit is starting to show more, in my opinion, which I love. Coming out of that shell you know he’s gonna become a vet. So I think that’s what he’s embracing. He understands. He’s familiar with what to expect, what to feel, and that just creates a better, confident quarterback going into Year 2. …

“It creates us to be better. We want to beat each other in a race, or whatever it is, conditioning and things like that. When you do things and he just competes, and you love to see that from the quarterback.”

Maye was one of few standout performers for the Patriots last season, completing 66.6% of passes for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 421 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Maye is learning a system that Bourne is already comfortable in with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels returning. Bourne had the best season of his career in his lone year under McDaniels, when he caught 55 passes for 800 yards with five touchdowns in 2021.

It’s a crowded wide receiver room this offseason, however, with Bourne competing for snaps and roster spots with veterans Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins, second-year pros Javon Baker, John Jiles and Ja’Lynn Polk, 2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams and undrafted free agents Demeer Blankumsee, Efton Chism and Jeremiah Webb.

Maye will be backed up by veteran QB Joshua Dobbs and UDFA Ben Wooldridge this spring.

Pats sign 3, cut 1

The Patriots signed three players who tried out for the team during rookie minicamp and released one undrafted free agent in a corresponding roster move.

The Patriots signed defensive tackle Isaiah Iton, who was with the Titans last season, and rookie free agents guard Mehki Butler and defensive tackle Wilfried Pene.

The Patriots released tackle Cole Birdow, who signed as an undrafted free agent on Friday.

Pene, who’s from France and played at Virginia Tech, does not count against the Patriots’ 90-man roster because they’ll get an international exemption for the 24-year-old defensive lineman’s spot.

Iton, 23, spent his college career at Ole Miss and Rutgers. Butler, 24, played collegiately at Arkansas State and Iowa Western Community College.

Birdow, 24, was a local product, finishing his college career at Merrimack after transferring from Old Dominion.

Extra points

Patriots director of college scouting Cam Williams is leaving the organization, according to a source. He will become the Broncos’ new co-director of player personnel, according to ESPN, and leaves a major vacancy in the Patriots’ front office. … Bourne said he’s more confident heading into this season, now a year and a half removed from his ACL tear in October 2023. Bourne, 29, also shared he’s excited to reunite with McDaniels: “I love his offense. I’m familiar with it. I just kind of know where I fit in, play to play, different things. I just try to excel at what he wants me to do.” … The Patriots will hold their first OTA practice open to reporters on Tuesday, May 20. Practice is not open to the public.