Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots hiring Thomas Brown in assistant coach role

The New England Patriots are hiring Thomas Brown as their tight ends coach and pass game coordinator, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Brown reportedly impressed new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in an offensive coordinator interview and will now be joining the staff.

Brown most recently served as the Chicago Bears’ interim coach. The Bears initially hired Brown in January 2024 to be their passing game coordinator. However, after Shane Waldron was fired, Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator on Nov. 12.

Brown’s climb up the organization’s ladder didn’t stop there, either. Just 17 days later, Brown was named the Bears’ interim head coach after the organization fired head coach Matt Eberflus. Under Eberflus, the Bears went 4-8 in their first 12 games of the season.

The Bears’ record didn’t see much improvement, even after Brown took over. The team went 1-4 under Thomas Brown but did defeat rival Green Bay Packers in the regular-season finale.

Despite the win, the Bears opted to go in a different direction this offseason, hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their next head coach. The decision freed Thomas to search for other job opportunities and ultimately land on Vrabel’s staff.

Brown has also coached for the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. At the collegiate level, Brown has coaching experience with programs such as South Carolina, Wisconsin and Miami.

Thomas Brown will likely play a large role in quarterback Drake Maye‘s development. After Brown took over play-calling duties for the Bears, rookie QB Caleb Williams made improvements in each of the following categories: QBR, completion percentage, yards per attempt and touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Maye finished the 2024 campaign with 2,276 passing yards and 15 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. With Vrabel taking the reins, Maye is expected to become the face of the Patriots moving forward.

If all goes well, Thomas Brown and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will play a large part in Maye’s success. Vrabel discussed his decision to hire McDaniels last week.

“When you talk about Josh, I think schematically and the way he teaches the quarterback. The versatility of the offense and the base foundation of the offense. His growth in that offense, trying to put conflict on the defense and the way he structures a gameplan, having gone against him and seen the system here as a player,” Vrabel said.

“It has evolved and there is a lot more to it than that. I know from our conversations that he’s worked hard and studied, visited and met with people, and we’re going to continue to add things that we feel helps our players and give us an advantage to score touchdowns and take care of the football.”