New England Patriots hire former linebacker Mike Vrabel as head coach

The first vacancy on the NFL’s “coaching carousel” has officially been filled, as the New England Patriots hired a former star to lead them back to their glory days. It took just eight days for the team to introduce Mike Vrabel as its new head coach.

The former linebacker, inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame 15 months ago, is now the 16th head coach in the organization’s history. Vrabel replaces another former star linebacker, Jerod Mayo. He lasted just one season in New England after posting a 4-13 record.

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Vrabel leaned immediately into New England’s culture, saying, “I want to galvanize our football team. I want to galvanize this building, I want to galvanize our fans. The most important thing is our players –– there’s some of them right here –– I want to provide a program that provides their ownership but also their accountability of each other.”

Vrabel was a consultant for the Cleveland Browns last season and spent six years as head coach in Tennessee. His record leading the Titans was 54-45, which included a trip to the AFC Championship. He was named Associated Press Coach of the Year in 2021. He won three Super Bowls playing for the Patriots between 2001 and 2008.

“Just because those banners hang, that’s not going to give us an advantage on the field,” Vrabel said. “But it’s going to give us a blueprint for how hard we need to work and the things that we need to do to be successful.”

The new coach also discussed his plan for rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The No. 3 overall pick finished with 2,276 yards, as well as 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this past season.

“Put great people around him. I would say my involvement will be as it relates to game management and situational awareness and where we are on the football field and trying to develop him as a leader of the offense,” Vrabel said. “Drake is going to be his own person, but I’m going to give him some things that I feel like are necessary to help us win football games. We have to be a very efficient passing football team.”

While Vrabel was a relatively quick hire in New England, there are still six more NFL head coach openings. The Dallas Cowboys became the latest team looking to hire someone new. They joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints.

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On Monday, Jan. 13, after weeks of speculation, the Cowboys allowed Mike McCarthy’s contract to expire, making him a free agent. McCarthy has already been linked with several of the other openings, most notably in Chicago.