Mike Vrabel heading into Patriots HC interview as leading candidate
Yesterday at 06:32 PM
The New England Patriots went 4-13 in 2024 and fired Jerod Mayo after the season. While it was a disappointing campaign, they saw a lot out of quarterback Drake Maye which makes the job enticing. While they have already interviewed a few other candidates, a team Hall of Famer is the leader in the clubhouse. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Mike Vrabel is the favorite to be the Patriots coach.
The Patriots plan to interview Mike Vrabel for their vacant head coach position on Thursday, sources say,” Rapoport reported. “A former New England All-Pro and member of the organization's Hall of Fame, the former Titans coach is viewed as a front runner heading into the interview.”
Vrabel was on the Patriots from 2001-2008, winning three Super Bowls as a key member of the defense. He retired and immediately went into coaching at his alma mater Ohio State. After a few years as an assistant there, he went to the Houston Texans. Vrabel became a hot head coaching option as the defensive coordinator there and went to the Titans in 2018.
In six seasons with the Titans, Vrabel went to the playoffs three times and won the division twice. They made it to the AFC Championship game in 2019 but lost to the Chiefs. That experience makes him a highly respected candidate for teams looking for a coach, especially the Patriots.
Who else could the Patriots consider?
Last year, the Patriots did not do much of a coaching search before hiring Jerod Mayo. It was reported that Robert Kraft had already told Mayo he was Bill Belichick’s successor. That was a disaster in his one season with the team and now the search is on. They interviewed Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton on Tuesday, starting their process.
All of the big names other teams are looking at should be in the Patriots’ view as well. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn should be near the top of their list. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has Patriots connections and Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is in a Pats-heavy organization.
Every team has Vrabel at or near the top of their head coaching wishlist. There are very few options that have recent success and are young like Vrabel is. The Patriots are the leaders in the clubhouse because of his connections there but that does not guarantee he will land there. They must move quickly to ensure they land their guy.
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