Report: New England Patriots negotiating deal with Mike Vrabel as head coach

The New England Patriots got their man. New England are negotiating a deal with Mike Vrabel, who will become the 16th head coach in franchise history, per the Boston Globe.

Vrabel, 49, always seemed like the favorite to succeed Jerod Mayo, fired just hours removed from the Week 18 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Like Mayo, Vrabel is another former Patriots Pro Bowl linebacker.

Vrabel played eight seasons with the Patriots (2001-08), a key contributor on three Super Bowl winning teams. He is a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, as well as the team’s All-2000s, 50th Anniversary and All-Dynasty teams.

Vrabel served as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns this season under head coach Kevin Stefanski. He spent the previous six seasons as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, where he had success.

New England Patriots bringing in Mike Vrabel to help turn franchise around

Vrabel went 54-45 in Tennessee, winning two AFC South titles and making three consecutive playoff appearances from 2019-21. He went 2-2 in the postseason, leading the Titans to the AFC Championship Game in 2019. Vrabel was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021. The Titans fired Vrabel following a 6-11 campaign in 2023.

Vrabel interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies this past offseason, most notably with the Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons. Other teams had an interest in bringing in Vrabel as their defensive coordinator, which he wasn’t keen on. Rather than joining college roommate Luke Fickell at Wisconsin as a consultant on his coaching staff or taking an off year to jump into the sports media landscape, Vrabel instead found a home in Cleveland.

Now, he returns to the sideline in a New England homecoming. He’s tasked with turning around the Patriots, who finished 4-13 and have failed to reach the postseason in three consecutive seasons. Vrabel never quite found a franchise quarterback in Tennessee, but the good news is that is already in place in New England. The Patriots selected Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s Draft, and he performed well under tough circumstances as a rookie.

The new regime in place has $130 million in cap space to work with in rebuilding the roster this offseason.