NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
In probably the worst surprise of the offseason, the New England Patriots hired former player Mike Vrabel as their new head coach. After Jerod Mayo led the team to a 4-13 season, he was dismissed after his first season. The Pats didn’t waste time jumping on the Vrabel bandwagon but will he be the one to turn them around?
Vrabel inherits the perfect situation walking into New England. Most new head coaches start with a clean slate and have to build from there. More often than not, they’re the middle of the pack with cap space and have to make the best of a bad situation. Vrabel inherits none of those things. The Pats have a QB in place, Drake Maye, who showed a ton of potential next year. They also have the fourth pick overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. There’s also the opportunity for them to hit free agency head-on with ~$120 mil in cap space right now. New England was void of star power with their playmakers and can use that money to start overhauling.
That’s already a good headstart for Vrabel. Most new head coaches end up being two seasons in before they tip the scale with players who buy into their philosophies. The real question is how will they spend that money. Will they be free spenders and throw big contracts around to gain fan interest? Will they shotgun contracts out there and turn over most of the roster in their first year? Vrabel was a defense-minded coach but will surely build the trenches first. Physicality will be at the forefront of New England’s focus.
But what worked in Tennessee might not work in New England. Tennessee did have a strong defense under Vrabel. Their offense was a mixed bag as the Titans benefited from a league-leading rusher in Derrick Henry but will start from scratch in New England. The Titans had a QB carousel under Vrabel but the HC did manage a 54-45 record while going 2-3 in the playoffs. Will the new HC bring in a star running back such as Ashton Jeanty to recreate some of the Titans gameplan or will they go a different route? We’ll likely get an idea when Vrabel starts hiring his offensive and defensive coordinators.
New England might be gambling on in taking one of their own to lead the team. Despite being in the best situation possible when it comes to a head coach position, Vrabel was falling off towards the end of his time in Tennessee. He’s barely over .500 in the win column and often didn’t get the playoff push they’d hoped for. There’s a good chance Robert Kraft gives him everything he needs to be successful, something that may not have happened with the Titans. For this to work, with a great position in the draft and plenty of cap to work with, the New England Patriots have to get it right in their first season for a quick turnaround. If not, this rebuild might take a few years.
