The New England Patriots are zeroing in on their new head coach, as the team is negotiating a deal to name Mike Vrabel the team’s new head coach. Vrabel was already the favorite to land the job, and that will be the case.
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Vrabel missed out on the head coach hiring cycle in 2024 after he was relieved of his duties as the Tennessee Titans head coach in 2023. Now, he returns to lead a new team.
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Following the 2023 season, Vrabel would join the Cleveland Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant. Though he did not land a head coaching gig in 2024, he did not use the year to take any time off.
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The good news is that Vrabel will presumably take the Patriots job with a lot of promise. New England has a solid rookie quarterback in Drake Maye, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and a reported $114 million over the cap.
Granted, Vrabel will have to work with Eliot Wolf on picks the team will make along with free agency targets, but the Patriots can start to be rebuilt under Vrabel.
The Patriots chose to fire Jerod Mayo after just one season. Mayo led New England to a 4-13 record, leading to him being let go.
There were a lot of pundits and people who believed that Mayo was set up for failure, including Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
“This whole situation is on me. I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft said. “I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now, I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships.”
Mayo was promoted to head coach after serving as the Patriots linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023. Though he was given the opportunity to lead the team, he might have done a bit better with some more responsibility under his belt, like being a coordinator for the team first.
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Mayo might find a job with another team in the offseason, but it sounds like the Patriots found their new leader in Vrabel.
Vrabel spent six seasons with the Titans, leading them to a 54-45 record in six seasons. Tennessee also went to the playoffs in three of those six seasons. Many believed that Vrabel was responsible for Ryan Tannehill having a resurgence, and he now has Maye to mold.
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