Mike Reiss discusses the Patriots' decision to hire Mike Vrabel as their new head coach, examining the factors behind the move and what it means for the team's future.
Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss. \The Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel as head coach a week after firing Jerod Mayo.
Vrabel's prior coaching experience -- in which he went 54-45 over six seasons with the Titans -- was appealing to the Patriots, as was owner Robert Kraft's background with Vrabel from his playing career as a linebacker in New England (2001-08). This is the fourth head coach that Kraft has hired since purchasing the team in 1994, the others being Pete Carroll (1997-99), Bill Belichick (2000-23) and Mayo (2024). \Taking a closer look, ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss answers four big questions about the Vrabel hiring, including what comes next. National reporter Dan Graziano dishes on what he's hearing about the hire, and draft analyst Matt Miller spins it forward to the draft. Finally, analyst Ben Solak grades the hire. \Vrabel has proved he can build a winning culture, which has added value for the franchise after Kraft miscalculated that Mayo, 38, was ready for the job following five years as an assistant coach. Vrabel, 49, will bring order and structure, and a mastery of game management that was formed, in part, by what he learned from Belichick as a player. Belichick often noted how Vrabel was one of the smartest players he had coached. Furthermore, the Patriots need a commanding leader to unify all aspects of their football operation, something that got away from them in recent years. Kraft had a front-row seat to Vrabel's leadership during his playing career and then as an opposing coach who had success against New England. It doesn't hurt that Vrabel is a Patriots Hall of Famer who spoke glowingly about the organization at his team induction. \The possibility of Vrabel becoming the Patriots' coach traces to last year. New England had language in Mayo's contract to become Belichick's successor, but team sources said Vrabel's unexpected availability in January 2024 after being fired by the Titans made some within the team wonder if those plans should be shelved in favor of Vrabel. They ultimately were convicted enough in Mayo to stick with the original plan. That Vrabel remained available in 2025, and was interviewing with the AFC East rival Dolphins, probably wasn't a surprise to the Patriots. \One of the top questions is what Vrabel's vision for the offense looks like, and whom he plans to bring with him as offensive coordinator. So Maye will likely be playing in a different system than the one implemented his rookie season by coordinator Alex Van Pelt, and he will also have new position coaches. This is significant as many credited Van Pelt and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney for Maye's development and helping refine his footwork after starting just 26 games in college. Maye got a taste for some of the NFL's different offensive systems in the predraft process when he met with various teams and has noted that some have a higher degree of difficulty than others in terms of responsibility placed on the quarterback. \The Patriots should hire a general manager who shares Vrabel's vision so it is aligned across all departments of the organization, such as Ryan Cowden, who was a top aide for his final seasons in Tennessee. The Patriots have never had a general manager in Kraft's 31-year tenure, instead preferring for an executive vice president of player personnel alongside the head coach as the top two staffers on the masthead. This could be the right time to change that approach, as organizations like the Patriots have grown exponentially since the 1990s and a GM-type hire has never been more important to complement the head coach. \No one is surprised. It felt like this situation was pointing this way all week, with the team's interest in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson the only thing that gave anyone pause. But Vrabel interviewed in person, not on Zoom, and of course the prior relationship with the organization was a huge factor. A lot of people I talk to have rolled their eyes a bit at the hire. The Patriots had Belichick for 24 years, let him go, did no search at all before hiring Mayo, fired Mayo after one season and then did a rushed search. Vrabel is an outstanding coach and likely the right hire, but it feels like the Patriots could have benefited from seeking a wider range of perspectives before jumping at the obvious candidate. \The Patriots' decision should be about improving the overall team and not focused entirely on offense or defense. There will be pressure from outside voices to build around a stellar young quarterback in Maye, and improving the offensive line and wide receiver corps must be an offseason focus. But it doesn't have to happen at No. 4. Reaching in Round 1 for needs is how bad teams stay ba
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