Who will replace Jerod Mayo? 6 coaching candidates for Patriots

Patriots

Mike Vrabel is expected to be one of the frontrunners for the Patriots’ head-coaching vacancy.

The Patriots now have a head-coaching vacancy. 

New England fired Jerod Mayo just an hour after the 2024 season came to a close, moving on from the first-year head coach following a disappointing 4-13 campaign. 

“We have tremendous fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years,” Robert Kraft said in a team statement following Mayo’s firing. “I apologize for that. I have given much thought and consideration as to what actions I can take to expedite our return to championship contention and determined this move was the best option at this time.”

While New England’s roster is still hindered with several holes across the depth chart (and lost out on the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft due to Sunday’s ill-advised win over the Bills), the Patriots might still be an appealing destination to several marquee coaching candidates.

Beyond New England’s abundant cap space (a league-high $131 million available), and possession of the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the promise showcased by rookie QB Drake Maye could make the Patriots a spot coaches might covet. 

Here are six potential coaching candidates for the Patriots in 2025.

Mike Vrabel

No surprises here. 

Vrabel has to be tabbed as the early frontrunner to take over as the Patriots’ next head coach. The former Patriots linebacker and ex-Titans head coach has been linked to New England since even before Mayo was let go.

“The belief, among sources close to the situation, is Mike Vrabel has been interested in the Patriots’ potential vacancy in recent weeks,” The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Sunday on X. “And he’d have some quality assistants who would be prepared to go with him if that’s how it unfolds.”

While Vrabel has reportedly already interviewed for the Jets’ head-coaching vacancy, CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala reported that his apparent interest in New York was a ploy to get Kraft and Co. to sweat in New England. 

“Was told that Mike Vrabel’s dalliance w/ #Jets was to put pressure on #Patriots to make a move,” Kinkhabwala posted on X. “With a young, incredibly promising QB (who improved every week despite very little talent around him), more cap space than anyone and stable ownership, of course, the NE job ranks high.”

Vrabel already has plenty of ties to New England, winning three Super Bowls as a hard-nosed linebacker (and dangerous red-zone receiving threat) over eight seasons with the Patriots. 

He spoke highly of his former team in 2023 after being inducted into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame in 2023. 

“I don’t want you to take this organization for granted,” Vrabel said during a halftime speech that reportedly rankled executives with the Titans months before his eventual firing. “I’ve been a lot of places, this is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, and great coaching. Enjoy it, it’s not like this everywhere.”

Beyond Vrabel’s ties with the Patriots, the 49-year-old is expected to be a coveted hire this winter after posting strong returns with the Titans over six seasons as head coach. 

Vrabel posted a 54-45 record with the Titans before being fired after a 6-11 campaign in 2023.

A demanding coach who drew results out of a Tennessee roster short on high-end talent beyond Derrick Henry, Vrabel took the Titans to the playoffs three times — beating Tom Brady (in his final game with the Patriots) in the 2019 AFC Wild Card round before advancing to the 2019 AFC Championship Game. 

Vrabel served as a consultant with the Browns in 2024. 

Ben Johnson

While Vrabel might be the most experienced, tone-setting coach on the open market this offseason, Johnson might present the highest ceiling as a young, offensive-minded maestro in the same vein as Sean McVay. 

Johnson has seen his stock soar in recent years as the offensive coordinator of an explosive Lions team — turning Jared Goff into a legitimate franchise QB while making household names out of playmakers like Amon-Ra St. Brown. Detroit enters Week 18 with the top-scoring offense in the NFL at 33.3 points per game. 

Viewed as one of the most promising young minds in the game today, Johnson could be an appealing coach to pair with a quarterback like Maye moving forward. 

Brian Flores

A former standout assistant coach in New England, Flores has re-established himself as an appealing head-coaching candidate this season while serving as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. 

Flores was head coach of the Miami Dolphins for three seasons — sporting a 24-25 record while clashing with QB Tua Tagovailoa. However, Flores led Miami to a 10-6 campaign in 2020. He is involved in a lawsuit with the NFL over racial discrimination, which has been ongoing since 2022. 

While he never served as defensive coordinator in New England, Flores served as both safeties coach (2012-15) and linebackers coach (2016-18) with the Patriots. He ended his tenure in New England as defensive play caller during the team’s sixth Super Bowl run in 2019.

Flores has impressed this year in Minnesota, coaching a defensive unit that entered Week 18 third in the league in points allowed at 301. 

Kliff Kingsbury

Another highly regarded offensive mind, Kingsbury has a bit more experience than Johnson — while also sporting an impressive track record when it comes to mentoring and developing quarterbacks.

Kingsbury, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Patriots, is currently coaching as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator — taking Jayden Daniels under his wing in what has been an impressive rookie season for the talented QB. 

Kingsbury’s previous coaching stops include six seasons as head coach at Texas Tech and four seasons coaching the Cardinals (28-37-1). 

Joe Brady

After the Bills took their foot off the gas on Sunday and squandered New England’s hopes of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, could New England get back at Buffalo by stealing their OC?

Brady, 35, is yet another promising head-coaching candidate after playing a key role in Buffalo’s ascension as one of the most explosive offenses in the league. After working with Josh Allen  as the Bills’ QB coach in 2022-23, Brady took over as the team’s interim OC last year before earning the full-time role in 2024. 

Even with Buffalo moving on from Stefon Diggs last offseason, Allen and the Bills have been even better under Brady’s watch in 2024 — with Allen putting up legitimate MVP numbers and the team deploying a more well-rounded game plan on the offensive side of the ball. 

Liam Coen

Another rising star in the NFL coaching ranks, Coen spent five seasons working with McVay and the Rams before taking over as the Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 2024. 

Under Coen, Tampa Bay ranks fourth in the league in scoring (29.7 points per game), while Baker Mayfield has thrown for a career-best 41 touchdowns — 13 more than his previous career high. 

Coen has several ties to New England. A native of Warwick, Rhode Island, Coen played football at UMass before beginning his coaching career with stints at Brown, URI, UMass, and Maine before moving on to the NFL ranks.