New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft met with the media Monday morning following the Sunday night announcement that the team parted ways with rookie head coach Jerod Mayo. The organization is now embarking on a search for their third head coach in three seasons. Here’s what we learned about how that search will unfold:
The Patriots are hoping to move quickly
“We move fast, and we’re going to let him make those decisions,” Kraft said of how much input the next head coach will have in players and coaches retained or let go this offseason.
It’s notable that the Patriots intend to move with urgency in their search. Does that point towards Mike Vrabel, or another candidate with whom they have a preexisting relationship?
Eliot Wolf will be involved in the search
Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf has received a healthy amount of criticism about the roster he put together in 2024. But Kraft said he, and his counterpart Alonzo Highsmith, will be involved in the coaching search, along with Jonathan Kraft and himself.
“We are looking for people working together and they will be staying on,” he said.
Vrabel isn’t a lock...today
There’s been plenty of buzz around Vrabel as the leader in the clubhouse to be the Krafts’ pick for the next Patriots head coach. League rules mandate the Patriots conduct interviews beyond any one person, and New England has already started reaching out to potential candidates.
“We want to interview as many people as we can that we think can help us get to that position that we want to be in. We have put out requests,” Kraft said.
When asked specifically about Vrabel, Kraft sidestepped.
“I don’t know all the people involved, and there are some wonderful people that we’ve heard about. I’d rather respond to that after I’ve seen everyone.”
Paying a new coaching staff shouldn’t take away from free agency spending
Good news for Tee Higgins fans. Heading into 2025, the Patriots have the most cap space in the NFL. Kraft asserted that the reality of effectively paying two different coaching staffs will not impact how willing the team is to spend against the cap this offseason.
“The answer is: no. We always had a situation where we spend to the cap. We have never told any coach, or limited the spending. The only thing we’ve said is, “If you exceed the cap, we like to see it leveled out over three years,” Kraft said.
Experience and connections will matter
It’s clear that one of the major limitations of this coaching staff was their experience, both in their own positions, and with one another. Kraft sounds like he wants a candidate and staff with plenty of institutional knowledge.
“They need to have a team around them that has product knowledge, in-game adjustments, knowing what their system is. Just a lot of things coming together,” he said.