Patriots Country

Patriots Hire Mike Vrabel as New Head Coach

The New England Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel to be their new head coach.

Evan Massey

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel walks the sidelines as they prepare to face the 49ers at Nissan Stadium Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn.
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel walks the sidelines as they prepare to face the 49ers at Nissan Stadium Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn. / George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots have made their decision on who will be the next head coach for the franchise. Mike Vrabel has landed the job on a multi-year deal, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, and is the guy that will try to turn the proud organization back into a legitimate contender.

Vrabel was linked to the Patriots many times even before Jerod Mayo was officially fired. It was clear from the jump that he was the favorite to land the job and now it is official.

Moving on from Mayo after just one season was a difficult decision. He had been hand-picked to be Bill Belichick's successor, but things simply did not work out.

Now, Vrabel will look to build a new championship culture in New England. He may not bring back the exact "Patriot Way" that Belichick was so famous for, but he has a proven track record of success.

During his time as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, Vrabel constantly led his teams well. He ended up compiling a 54-45 overall record, but led his teams to the playoffs in three of his six years.

He also led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game during the 2019 season, where they ultimately ended up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.

This is a moment for Patriots fans to be excited about. Vrabel was arguably the best head coaching candidate available. He was a name of interest for many of the teams with a head coaching vacancy.

However, they were able to land him.

Obviously, Vrabel was interested in returning home to the place where he was a star for many years at the linebacker position. He wanted to be a part of returning New England to glory.

All of this sounds and looks great, but the results now need to follow. The Patriots have work to do to build out a better roster, but Vrabel and his coaching staff will be tasked with developing young talent and continually taking steps forward over the next couple of years.

Drake Maye gives New England a lot of optimism about the future. They also have a ton of cap space and great draft capital. If the front office does its job well, the Patriots should take a huge step forward in 2025.

A lot of eyes are going to be on Vrabel. He will be under a lot of pressure to succeed after Mayo was fired just one year in.

Vrabel will be more than ready to shoulder those expectations and lead New England into a new era of football moving forward.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

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