Instant analysis of the Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel.
Speaking to the media after firing Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said that his organization would “move fast” in its search for a new head coach. That is indeed what happened.
The Patriots, who interviewed only four candidates, hired Mike Vrabel as the 16th head coach in franchise history on Sunday. The transition from Mayo to Vrabel took place less than a week, making the Patriots’ the first of the NFL’s six coaching vacancies to be filled this offseason.
The ramifications of the hire have yet to be determined, naturally, but for now let’s take a big-picture look at what it means for New England.
No surprise
Amid speculation in 2023 that the Patriots and Bill Belichick were headed toward a divorce, Vrabel’s name was brought up as a potential successor. That did not happen at the time; Jerod Mayo was contractually guaranteed to succeed Belichick as head coach which in turn prevented Vrabel — who had just been fired from the Tennessee Titans at the time — from ever entering the conversation.
A year later, the Patriots-Vrabel reunion has finally happened. It comes as no surprise.
The 49-year-old was seen as the frontrunner for the open position ever since Mayo was fired shortly after the season finale. While Vrabel did interview with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears as well, New England always appeared to be the likeliest destination considering his history with the team.
Staying in the comfort zone
Vrabel getting hired as Patriots head coach is just the latest chapter in said history with the organization. He originally arrived in New England in 2001 when the team signed him as a free agent to improve its linebacker position. Over the next eight years, he developed into a cornerstone player on the defensive side of the ball and valuable member of some of the best teams in franchise and NFL history.
Appearing in a combined 142 regular season and playoff games, Vrabel helped the Patriots win their first three Super Bowls. His résumé later got him voted into the team’s Hall of Fame, and seemingly played a substantial role in his return as head coach now: their personal experience with him is something team owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft likely placed a high value on.
It is not the first time the Krafts have gone down that road. The team’s previous two head coaches, Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo, both had an existing relationship with ownership before getting hired in 2000 and 2024, respectively.
While his situation is different from Belichick’s and Mayo’s, Vrabel still falls in a similar category. He too was carrying the “Kraft stamp of approval” long before actually becoming their team’s head coach.
Experience trumps youth
As noted above, the Patriots only interviewed four candidates after firing Jerod Mayo. Among those, Vrabel and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson were regarded as the clear frontrunners — setting up a battle between experience and youth.
Vrabel entered that competition having previously served as an NFL head coach before. Johnson, on the other hand, would have been a rookie in that role.
From the Patriots’ perspective the difference in experience as well as familiarity likely factored heavily the decision. One year after handing the keys to the franchise to a rookie coach — albeit one far less established than Johnson would have been — it seems New England’s decision makers were hesitant to risk going down that same path yet again.
Culture considerations
Even though both Mike Vrabel and his predecessor, Jerod Mayo, spent their formative football years under Bill Belichick in New England, the move from the latter to the former should have an immediate impact on the team’s culture — one that actively seemed to erode as the 2024 season went along. It all starts with credibility.
While Mayo was a successful player in his day, his inexperience as a coach was apparent from early in his head coaching tenure. Vrabel, on the other hand, has had success both on and off the field; communication and holding players accountable should not be as big a problem for him as they were for Mayo.
Focus shifts to staff
With the biggest vacancy filled, the Vrabel-led Patriots will now have to decide the fate of the rest of the coaching staff. We already know that one member will not be back — defensive assistant Keith Jones has joined Appalachian State — while defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington is seemingly headed out the door as well after interviewing for the same position with the Cincinnati Bengals (an indication he expects to be let go).
Of course, all staffing decisions will be made by the incoming head coach; there is a chance that some assistants in all three phases are retained. However, it does not take clairvoyance to predict that there will be significant turnover across the board.
That might include the offensive coordinator position, where ex-Patriots OC Josh McDaniels has been speculated as a potential successor for still-employed Alex Van Pelt.
Return to Tennessee
As part of the NFL’s schedule rotation, the Patriots will visit the Titans at one point during the 2025 season. For Vrabel, the game will be a homecoming of sorts: he spent six years in Nashville, leading the team to a 54-45 regular season record and a 2-3 mark in the playoffs.