Patriots will name Mike Vrabel as their head coach; OC to follow?
The New England Patriots will hire Mike Vrabel as their next head coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Vrabel was viewed as the favorite for the position as soon as the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo following their season finale win over the Bills. Between his success as a Patriots player and a head coach with the Tennessee Titans, the fit has made sense all along.
Vrabel was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023 after winning three Super Bowls in the early 2000s with New England.
The 49-year-old Vrabel got surprisingly fired from the Tennessee Titans in 2023 after five seasons, despite three playoff appearances. Perhaps, even more surprisingly, he was unable to find a head coaching job during last offseason.
Instead of taking a year off this past season, he went to the Cleveland Browns as a consultant to learn about the offensive side of the ball. He got experience working with the tight ends and offensive line.
Vrabel is a defensive-minded head coach, but knowing the other side of the ball and being able to coach both sides will prove to be very valuable with a rebuilding roster.
From 2018-2023, Vrabel's tenure with the Titans was marked by significant achievements and a few challenges. After he was hired as the head coach of Tennessee, he quickly made an impact, leading the team to the playoffs in his second season. Under his leadership, the Titans defeated the Patriots on the road in what would end up being Tom Brady’s last game in New England.
That game provided what is considered one of, if not the, top moments of Vrabel’s coaching career. He manipulated the clock with penalties as the Titans looked to limit the time left in the game.
Vrabel's coaching style emphasized physicality and discipline, traits he embodied during his playing career. He was known for making bold decisions, such as opting for aggressive fourth-down plays, which often paid off and energized the team. His ability to motivate players and create a cohesive unit was evident in the Titans' consistent performance during his tenure.
Now the question remains on how Vrabel will fill out the rest of his coaching staff.
If he decides to move on from current offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has a “good chance” at getting back his old role, according to Jef Howe of The Athletic. Another name that makes a lot of sense is Tommy Rees.
Rees worked alongside Vrabel this past season with the Browns and was also the offensive coordinator/quarterback coach for Notre Dame and Alabama. The 32-year-old had high praise for Vrabel this past season when he spoke to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, who also reported Rees is interviewing for the Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator job.
“He (Vrabel) was invaluable, especially early in camp and early in the season when he was with the tight ends predominantly,” Rees said recently. “And just being able to see how he approached different players to reach guys that—not everybody learns the same way, not everybody takes coaching the same way, but his ability to reach guys and use different tactics, like that was critical for me. The way he’s able to look at the game as a head coach and kind of a full picture of things.
“So, to be able to hear that firsthand and be around it firsthand. And then, honestly for me, coming from college into the NFL, for a guy that spent most of his life in the NFL, just the nuances and some of the differences between the two games and hearing that from him was great. I was, and still am, extremely appreciative of the time I got to spend with him and being able to pick his brain and hear some things from a defensive perspective. It was a pretty unique but really rewarding experience to be able to work with him.”
Coming off back-to-back seasons of 4-13, the Patriots have not only a lot of work to do on the roster, but they need to rebuild the expectations on the inside. The Patriots have found their leader and, based on the hire, feel like they have a direction on the gridiron. A lot has changed since Vrabel has played here, but it will be up to him now to start getting everyone in the building from the locker room to the front office back to that winning culture and mindset.
