New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is already getting to work in Foxborough.
Vrabel was named the franchise’s new head coach on Sunday and introduced Monday at Gillette Stadium. The change in leadership gives New England a new culture led by Vrabel, an eight-year Patriots veteran and three-time Super Bowl champion, who outlined some requirements for the team’s coaching staff.
“I’ll tell you this, as long as I’m the head coach here, our coaches will have three simple jobs – and they seem simple, and they’re probably not as simple as we’d like them to be,” said Vrabel. reporters, according to a transcript provided by the team. “They want to teach, they want to develop and they want to inspire our players by connecting. We will build strong bonds with our players so that we can coach and push them. I really believed in this system and I believe in having great teachers, great developers and also coaches who will inspire our guys by making a connection so that they know exactly what motivates them.
There’s a good chance the Patriots won’t retain offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt or defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, who reportedly interviewed with the Cincinnati Bengals following Jerod Mayo’s departure. So that leaves Vrabel with the responsibility of working with owner Robert Kraft and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf to scout candidates to fill New England’s bench this offseason.
Vrabel joins the Patriots after accumulating coaching experience with the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns.
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That alone should give Vrabel ample time to build the relationships and connections needed to identify staff members who could help the soon-to-be first-year Patriots head coach rebuild a franchise that is coming off a second straight 4-year season. -13.
It’s been three seasons since the Patriots made the playoffs and seven since their last playoff victory, and stability is not on New England’s side. Vrabel will become the team’s third head coach to command the sidelines in the last three years, as quarterback Drake Maye looks to solidify his position after the failures of Cam Newton and Mac Jones.
The coaching staff took a step back, presenting little to no reason for Kraft and Wolf to start from scratch. Mayo lost the trust and support of its fans when Gillette Stadium erupted with “Fire Mayo” chants in Week 17, summing up the dumpster fire that was New England’s unwatchable run in 2024.
Vrabel’s fresh perspective and respective expertise offer an inherent glimmer of hope. The Patriots weren’t the only franchise ready to hand Vrabel the keys to leadership and they were one of six teams in the league entering the offseason without a head coach.
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“We’re going to demand effort and finish,” Vrabel said. “People ask what non-negotiables are. Our effort and our finishing will be the contract we make with our teammates. It will be my job to make sure of that. Besides, it’s the biggest compliment you can give to a coach.
Vrabel was the one from New England the biggest needed, but there is still much work to be done moving forward.
