National Football League

Patriots hire Mike Vrabel as new head coach

Updated Jan. 12, 2025 10:54 a.m. ET

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The New England Patriots are bringing Mike Vrabel back to Foxborough. The team announced Sunday that it has hired the former Patriots All-Pro linebacker as its new head coach.

FOX Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported Saturday that Vrabel and the Patriots were "negotiating" a contract, with him expected to become their head coach "barring something unforeseen."

Vrabel was a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns this season. That came after a six-year stint as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, who went a combined 54-45 in the regular season and 2-3 in the postseason under him from 2018-23. He was named the AP Coach of the Year in 2021 after a 12-5 season, but the Titans followed that up with back-to-back losing seasons and then parted ways with him.

Vrabel won three Super Bowls with the Patriots in his playing career. He played for New England across eight of his 14 seasons in the sport (2001-08), earning All-Pro honors in 2007. In 2023, he was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Earlier in his coaching career, Vrabel was a linebackers coach (2011) and defensive line coach (2012-13) at his alma mater, Ohio State. He was then the linebackers coach (2014-16) and later defensive coordinator (2017) for the Houston Texans.

Is Mike Vrabel a solid fit for as Patriots head coach? | The Herd

New England is coming off a second consecutive 4-13 season and fired head coach Jerod Mayo, who was promoted as Bill Belichick's successor, after one season. Vrabel and Mayo were Patriots teammates in 2008, Mayo's rookie year and Vrabel's final season as a player in New England. 

The Patriots are the first team to fill their head-coaching vacancy, with the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders still seeking coaches.

Vrabel also interviewed with the Bears and Jets. 

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