Mike Vrabel Makes NFL History With Super Bowl Trip in First Year As Patriots Coach

Mike Vrabel and the Patriots are off the the Super Bowl | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Mike Vrabel is off to the Super Bowl in his first season as the Patriots’ head coach.

It’s been a massive turnaround for New England after two straight 4-13 seasons, and in only the second year with quarterback Drake Maye at the helm. Vrabel became the Patriots’ coach over the offseason after a gap year spent consulting with the Browns following his firing by the Titans after six seasons as Tennessee’s coach. With a Super Bowl trip in Vrabel’s first season coaching New England, the Patriots become the first team in the Super Bowl era to reach the Super Bowl after hiring a new head coach and winning four games or fewer the prior season according to ESPN.

Once New England completed a wild 10-7 win in a snowy AFC championship game with the Broncos, Vrabel was understandably filled with joy:

Vrabel taking the @Patriots to #SBLX in Year 1 as head coach 🗣️ @budlight pic.twitter.com/U6HB34UtzB

— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2026

Although Vrabel isn’t the first coach to reach the Super Bowl in their first year leading their team, he’s the first to do it with a group that had such a dreadful record the year before his hiring.

How many first-year NFL head coaches have reached the Super Bowl?

According to ESPN, Vrabel is the eighth first-year coach to reach the Super Bowl, and the first to accomplish the feat since Gary Kubiak did it with the Broncos in 2015. There was even a Super Bowl matchup between two first-year coaches back in ‘02, when Jon Gruden and the Bucs took on his former team and Bill Callahan’s Raiders. Here’s a look at all other head coaches who made a trip to the Super Bowl in their first season in the role, and how they fared:

Coach	Team	Year	Super Bowl Result
Mike Vrabel	New England Patriots	2026	TBD
Gary Kubiak	Denver Broncos	2015	Win
Jim Caldwell	Indianapolis Colts	2009	Loss
Jon Gruden	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2002	Win
Bill Callahan	Oakland Raiders	2002	Loss
George Seifert	San Francisco 49ers	1989	Win
Red Miller	Denver Broncos	1977	Loss
Don McCafferty	Baltimore Colts	1970	Win

Vrabel’s Patriots will take on the winner of Sunday’s NFC championship game between the Seahawks and Rams in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8.

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