Patriots owner Robert Kraft probably expected more out of rookie head coach Jerod Mayo than a 3-11 record through Week 15.
But, somehow, after moving on from Bill Belichick last offseason, the Patriots look worse this year than they did when they ended up with the third overall pick.
Just about the only thing that has gone right for New England is that third overall pick selection, Drake Maye. Outside of that, though, Mayo’s first year as head coach hasn’t shown many signs of improvement from the year prior.
Following a 30-17 loss against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Mayo’s job security seems to be in doubt.
On Monday, ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter told Pat McAfee that while the Patriots “want to keep” Mayo, he may force their hand depending on the season’s final three weeks.
If the Krafts somehow change their mind, Mike Vrabel, a former Patriots player with a proven head coaching track record, is available to be hired. Vrabel was somehow not picked up by an NFL franchise last year following his surprising dismissal from Tennessee, and he looks to be a sought-after coach once again this offseason.
WEEI’s Greg Hill believes it would be "malfeasance" for the Patriots not to consider replacing Mayo with Vrabel this offseason.
“If you're not even gonna think about Mike Vrabel, you're gonna miss an opportunity, that's gonna slip through your hands and be gone,” Hill said Tuesday morning.
Greg Hill Show producer Chris Scheim expressed doubt that the Patriots could be an attractive destination for Vrabel compared to other openings around the league.
“At this point, Greg, I don’t even know that you’d be able to get him. I think he'd have too many other more enticing opportunities than [New England],” Scheim said.
Chris Curtis noted how Vrabel buddied up to the Krafts at his Patriots Hall of Fame induction last year, which he believes cost him his job in Tennessee.
“His presence in the suite a year or two ago after being inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame is what caused his demise with the Titans because they were like, ‘Why are you in this box kissing up to the other owner when you don't talk to me?’” Curtis said.
Given his head coaching experience with the Titans, Hill believes Vrabel would do much better than Mayo is doing during his first season.
“He also hits the ground running,” Hill said.
“He’s already done all the stuff that I think maybe got in the way of Jerod Mayo being able to coach football,” Hill continued. “Whether it’s whatever Robyn Glaser is supposed to be helping him with, whether it’s overseeing every part of the organization, all that stuff, all that minutia stuff, Mike Vrabel has done it before. He’s done it at the highest level and he’s done it well.”
Jermaine Wiggins questioned whether the presence of New England’s de facto GM, Eliot Wolf, would cause issues with Vrabel, who may want to oversee the entire football operation himself.
“Is there friction with Vrabel and Eliot Wolf?” Wiggy asked.
Curtis said Wolf’s concerns should be dismissed if they stand in the way of hiring Vrabel. At the same time, Scheim noted that Vrabel feuded with his GM in Tennessee, Jon Robinson.
“Vrabel is going to stand 10 toes down when it comes to his beliefs,” Wiggy said. “So, if him and the GM are not seeing eye to eye, similar to, like you said Scheim, Jon Robinson in Tennessee, that’s going to become an issue.”
This discussion could become meaningless if the Patriots overperform expectations across these final three weeks of football. It will be hard, though, with two games against the red-hot Buffalo Bills and a Dec. 29 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.