Mike Vrabel 'Aggressively' Pursued One Patriots Offseason Addition

The New England Patriots made a wide range of staff changes with the introduction of Mike Vrabel as their head coach this offseason.

On top of Vrabel, New England brought in changes at offensive coordinator with Josh McDaniels re-entering the mix, defensive coordinator Terrell Williams joining aboard, and a vast assortment of assistant coaches on each side of the ball both new and familiar with the Patriots' first-year head coach.

However, one of those new assistants had seemingly caught Vrabel's eye from the jump as one of his top targets to add to his Patriots staff: former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

According to ESPN insider Mike Reiss, the Patriots and Vrabel "aggressively pursued" Brown during this offseason's coaching hiring cycle as a part of their massive staff turnover.

“The addition of former Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, who is the first passing-game coordinator in franchise history and will also work with tight ends, was a hire Vrabel pursued aggressively after interviewing him for the coordinator job," said Reiss.

Brown, whose most recent position was on the Bears' staff for the 2024 season, even got some early looks at offensive coordinator before the Patriots agreed to terms with Josh McDaniels.

Before Chicago, he was the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2023, and while both stints didn't end up panning out too well in his team's favor, he clearly had some notable appeal in the eyes of Vrabel. And now, he has a nice new opportunity in Foxboro alongside Drake Maye in his second year and this budding Patriots offense in its hopeful 180 degree shift for the season ahead.

Expect Brown to be one of the many new voices on the sidelines preparing to have a notable role in this Patriots offense for the 2025 campaign.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!