New England Patriots hire Mike Vrabel as coach

The New England Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach.

The team announced the hiring Sunday morning, a week after Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired Jerod Mayo following the team’s season-ending victory over the Buffalo Bills. Mayo finished 4-13 in his lone season.

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.

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

In hiring the 49-year-old Vrabel, Kraft is turning to another former Patriots defensive standout who, like Mayo, built a reputation as a coach for his ability to relate to players.

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

Vrabel, however, arrives with a resume burnished by a 56-48 overall record with Tennessee from 2018 to 2023. That includes a 2-3 record in the playoffs and an AFC championship game appearance in 2019 as part of a run of three straight postseason berths.

Vrabel served as a consultant for Cleveland this season, but his contract expired, allowing him to speak with other teams. He also was interviewed by the New York Jets and Chicago Bears, who are still seeking coaches. Vrabel was also thought to be a candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders’ coaching job because of his connections with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, but he never interviewed with Las Vegas.

Now, Vrabel will look to rebuild the franchise he’s been associated with most during his NFL career.

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