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Mike Reiss, ESPN writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Mike Vrabel returned to the New England Patriots, who hired the former player to become their new head coach.
The Patriots did not disclose terms, but sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Vrabel and New England agreed to a multi-year contract. The team confirmed the hiring on Sunday morning, announcing Vrabel as the 16th head coach in franchise history.
Vrabel played linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008 and was an integral member of three Super Bowl championship teams. He served as coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023, posting a 54-45 regular season record and a 2-3 playoff mark, which included a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2019.
Vrabel, the 2021 Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year, replaces Jerod Mayo, who was fired on Jan. 5 after posting a 4-13 record in his only season as Patriots coach. The Patriots will formally introduce Vrabel during a news conference at noon ET on Monday at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots also interviewed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton for the opener.
While Vrabel is identified more as a Patriot for his playing career that also included time with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1997-2000) and Kansas City Chiefs (2009-10), he never served in New England as a coach. His coaching career began in 2011 working with linebackers at Ohio State, his alma mater.
Vrabel spent three seasons at Ohio State and then four with the Texans before his six-year stint as Titans head coach ended when he was fired after consecutive losing seasons. In 2024, he was a personnel consultant and coach for the Cleveland Browns.
Vrabel, 49, was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023 and shared his affinity for the franchise and owner Robert Kraft that day, saying: “This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction and great coaching… .. It’s not like that everywhere.”
That day he noted that it was only his fifth time back in New England since being traded to Kansas City in 2009 and shared fond memories of his life there, including him and his wife, Jen, raising their two sons, Tyler and Carter. in his early years.
As a New England player, coach Bill Belichick recognized Vrabel for his fundamentals, commitment to team success, toughness, leadership, situational awareness and intelligence, among other things. Vrabel’s Titans teams mostly reflected that, with his mastery of game management, which included many things learned from Belichick, among the areas that impressed Kraft, according to a team source.
One example was the Titans’ 20-13 playoff win over the Patriots on Jan. 4, 2020, when Vrabel took advantage of a loophole in the rule book that allowed him to burn 1:49 off the clock in the fourth quarter without running. . one play, helping keep quarterback Tom Brady off the field.
In his speech at the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023, Vrabel said what he experienced in the locker room as a player in New England remains the standard for what he hopes to achieve as a coach.
“We held each other accountable, because there was trust, there was understanding, respect for the fact that we could say the things that needed to be said to each other,” he said. “Every day that’s what I try to recreate wherever I train. I don’t know if we’ll make it, but I’ll try every day because nothing was more important than the team.”
