On the same day Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that former NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel “should not be considered the immediate favorite” to become the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, The Athletic’s Chad Graff named Vrabel “the favorite” for the New England Patriots’ head coaching job.
In a Thursday morning report, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler supported this notion, stating that Vrabel is “indeed the heavy favorite” to take over in New England. Vrabel, who won three Super Bowl titles with the Patriots during his playing career from 2001-2008, was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023. Reports linking him to the Patriots coaching role began surfacing weeks before team owner Robert Kraft officially parted ways with Jerod Mayo after the regular season. Some sources suggest Kraft could hire Vrabel as early as Thursday.
Patriots and NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated also noted in his Thursday mailbag that his “guess” is that Vrabel will end up in New England. According to Fowler, Vrabel might seek control over personnel decisions and a chance to bring in his own staff—a demand Kraft appears willing to accommodate. Patriots beat writer Chris Mason of MassLive echoed this sentiment, suggesting Vrabel would be allowed to hire a new personnel chief while current executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf might transition into a different role.
Though ESPN’s Dan Graziano mentioned Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as a potential candidate for the Patriots, Mason believes Kraft is wary of hiring another first-time head coach and sees Vrabel as the safer, more experienced choice.
Meanwhile, Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, a former teammate and close friend of Vrabel, may have hoped to lure Vrabel to Las Vegas. However, Kraft’s willingness to act swiftly and secure Vrabel under contract before the weekend could keep him from heading west.
