One of the top candidates in this hiring cycle—and someone the Patriots were expected to target after firing Jerod Mayo on Sunday—will be in Foxborough later this week. According to Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are set to interview Mike Vrabel for their head coaching vacancy on Thursday.
Vrabel spent the 2024 season as a coaching and personnel consultant with the Cleveland Browns before getting let out of his contract in late December to pursue head coaching opportunities.
Prior to that, the 49-year-old compiled a 54-45 record over six seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, before being fired following a 6-11 campaign in 2023. Vrabel led the Titans to three consecutive playoff appearances from 2019 to 2021, highlighted by a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2019, where they fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. In 2021, he earned Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Titans to the AFC’s top seed.
Vrabel, who played eight seasons for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008, won three Super Bowls—catching touchdowns in two of them—and earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in 2007. He was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023 and is widely seen as the frontrunner for the team’s head coaching job.
Rapoport reported last January that Vrabel’s firing from Tennesse was influenced by his October 2023 visit to New England for his Hall of Fame induction and his failure to dispel rumors internally about possibly succeeding Bill Belichick.
“I don’t want you to take this organization for granted,” Vrabel said during the induction. “I’ve been to a lot of places. This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, and great coaching. Enjoy it. It’s not like this everywhere.”
The Patriots aren’t alone in their pursuit of Vrabel, who interviewed with the New York Jets last week and is set to meet with the Chicago Bears on Wednesday. The Jaguars and Saints have also expressed interest.
Although not yet linked, the Raiders—who fired head coach Antonio Pierce earlier today—could also emerge as a contender. According to Adam Schefter, limited owner Tom Brady is expected to be part of a collaborative committee to interview head coaching candidates and support team owner Mark Davis in the search. Brady has close ties to Vrabel from their time in New England.
With New England interviewing Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton on Tuesday, the Patriots have fulfilled the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least two external minority or female candidates for head coach, GM, and coordinator vacancies. This clears the way for them to hire Vrabel immediately following his interview if they choose to do so.
The team is also set to interview Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
With Drake Maye heading into his sophomore season at quarterback, over $130 million in cap space, and the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, the Patriots’ head coaching position has a lot of appeal.