By Shawn Stewart
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, The Patriots are hiring Mike Vrabel as their next head coach.
Vrabel had a 54-45 record over six seasons, including three trips to the playoffs and one to the AFC title game, as head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Vrabel also has a strong Patriots connection. He spent eight of his 14 NFL seasons with the Patriots and was a part of three Super Bowl championship teams led by Bill Belichick.
The Patriots did not disclose terms, but sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Vrabel and New England agreed to a multi-year contract.
Vrabel played linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008 and was an integral member of three Super Bowl championship teams.
Vrabel, the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year in 2021, replaces Jerod Mayo, who was fired Jan. 5 after posting a 4-13 record in his one season as Patriots coach.
The Patriots also interviewed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton for the opening.
Vrabel spent three seasons at Ohio State, then four with the Houston Texans, before his six-year stint as Titans head coach that ended when he was fired after consecutive losing seasons. In 2024, he was a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns.
Vrabel, 49, was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023 and shared his affinity for the franchise and owner Robert Kraft that day, saying “this is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction and great coaching. … It’s not like this everywhere.”
In his Patriots Hall of Fame speech in 2023, Vrabel said what he experienced in the locker room as a player in New England remains the standard of what he hopes to achieve as a coach.
“We held each other accountable, because there was trust, there was an understanding, a respect that you could say things that needed to be said to each other,” he said. “Every day that’s what I’m trying to recreate wherever I coach. I don’t know if we’ll get it, but every day I’m going to try because nothing was more important than the team.”