New England Patriots appoint former player Mike Vrabel as their new head coach

The New England Patriots have hired former player Mike Vrabel as the team’s new head coach. The news comes a week after Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired another former Patriots player, Jerod Mayo, after the team finished 4-13 in his lone season as coach.

Vrabel, a fan favorite for eight seasons as a player in New England, where he was a member of the franchise’s first three Super Bowl titles and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023, was the preferred candidate because of his long association with the Pats and coaching success during six seasons at Tennessee.

In hiring the 49-year-old, Kraft turns to another former Patriots defensive standout who, like Mayo, has built a reputation as a coach for his ability to connect with players.

But Mayo, who served as an assistant under former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, was a first-time head coach and struggled to get results with a young roster led by rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Kraft said that while he thought he had identified Belichick’s successor at Mayo, in retrospect he now believes he wasn’t quite ready to be an NFL head coach.

In Vrabel’s case, however, he arrives with a head coaching resume burnished by a 56-48 overall record at Tennessee from 2018 to 2023. That includes a 2-3 record in the playoffs and AFC championship games in 2019 as part of a series of matches. of three consecutive post-season berths.

Vrabel served in an advisory role with Cleveland this season, but his contract expired, leaving him free to talk to other teams. He was also interviewed by the New York Jets. New England’s appeal won out and now he will look to rebuild the franchise he has been most associated with during his NFL career.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson also interviewed for the job.