Patriots Take Next Big Step in Hiring Next Head Coach: Report
The New England Patriots are working through contract negotiations with former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, the leading candidate for the head coaching job in Foxboro, per the Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang.
A deal has yet to be reached; however, Vrabel has been the favorite for the position since New England fired head coach Jerod Mayo on January 5.
The 2021 NFL Coach of the Year, Vrabel, was the head coach of the Titans from 2018 to 2023. He compiled a 54-45 record with the franchise. After three straight playoff appearances from 2019 to 2021, Tennessee finished 7-10 and 6-11 in Vrabel’s final two seasons in Nashville.
In 2024, Vrabel was a coaching and personnel consultant with the Cleveland Browns.
An Ohio State alumnus, Vrabel entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997. He signed as a free agent with the Patriots before the 2001 season.
He won three Super Bowls with New England over his eight seasons with the franchise. Vrabel was traded to Kansas City before the 2009 season and retired after the 2010 season.
In 2011, he joined Ohio State as a linebackers coach before moving to the NFL coaching ranks in 2014 as the Houston Texans‘ linebackers coach. After spending the 2017 season as the Texans’ defensive coordinator, the Titans hired him on a five-year contract in January 2018.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft with wife Dana
© Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Vrabel laid out a clear vision when speaking with The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt about what he would like at his next coaching job.
“There’s got to be clear communication with ownership, so that we understand as coaches what the expectations are,” Vrabel said. “That’s so we can explain to them what’s reasonable, what we can do, what we probably can do and what we’re going to try to do-or die trying.
“I want to have a structure in place that people see the game the same way I do from an X’s and O’s standpoint, from a personnel standpoint, with team-building. We would hopefully have that alignment, which is critical.
“And I would like to be able to say that there’s a quarterback that you feel like you can win with — or that there’s a path to find the one that you can win with.”
The Patriots finished the 2024 NFL season with a 4-13 record and have the No. 4 pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
