On Sunday, the New England Patriots made good on what seemed like a foregone conclusion for weeks by hiring three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel as the franchise’s next head coach.
The team fired Jerod Mayo within a few hours after the season ended, putting a merciful end to his lone season at the helm, and Vrabel will now step into the role many had hoped he’d take dating back to the day Bill Belichick left town.
The deal came together quickly and is officially done, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and it’s believed to be a long-term deal to make him Belichick’s true successor.
BREAKING: The #Patriots are hiring Mike Vrabel as their HC, per @AdamSchefter. The deal is done. pic.twitter.com/SwrjJYaoKa
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 12, 2025
The fans had plenty to say about the deal on X as well.
I’m not mad at it. Interested to see if he’s tweaked anything since his last HC stint.
— MZY (@MZYtimes) January 12, 2025
Great pick by the patriots. Perfect landing spot for Vrabel too. As a former player for the Patriots, he is what the organization needed to compete in the AFC East again and attempt for a Super Bowl.
— Brandon Duck (@thebrandonduck) January 12, 2025
No surprise here. This was very obvious after the firing of Mayo. Still can’t believe Vrabel didn’t coach this year. Top tier coach in the league
— Kingship Capital (@KingshipCapital) January 12, 2025
Patriots was the best job opening for sure. And they got the best coach available. I bet they are back in playoff contention within 2 years
— JFraz_ (@Jfraz_) January 12, 2025
Vrabel spent this past season as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns after he and Belichick surprisingly didn’t land one of the many available head coaching gigs last offseason.
His performance as head coach of the Tennessee Titans made him one of the top candidates on the market.
He led the team to multiple playoff berths and an AFC Championship game appearance while consistently overperforming compared to expectations.
He’ll now enter an enticing situation with rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft, and a league-leading $130+ million in cap space.
This is the first major offseason hire, and we will see what the next domino to fall is, as Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson likely becomes the most sought-after coach available.
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