Mike Vrabel will reportedly interview for Patriots head-coaching job Thursday
FOXBORO -- As expected, the New England Patriots will interview Mike Vrabel for their head-coaching vacancy this week. He'll be in Foxboro to talk to the team on Thursday, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.
Vrabel, a Patriots Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl champ as a player, is viewed as the favorite to replace Jerod Mayo in New England. The Patriots fired Mayo on Sunday after just one season -- a 4-13 campaign -- as the team's head coach.
That swift ousting allowed the Patriots to get an early jump on finding a replacement, a process that has already begun in Foxboro. On Thursday, the team will get its chance with Vrabel.
But the former Titans head coach will also interview with the Chicago Bears for their head-coaching job on Wednesday, according to The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed. And with the Las Vegas firing head coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday, minority owner Tom Brady may get the Raiders in the mix for Vrabel as well.
Vrabel previously interviewed with the New York Jets last week.
Patriots to interview Mike Vrabel
Vrabel is beloved in New England after he was a key member of the Patriots defense from 2001-08. The linebacker helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls, and was named a First-Team All Pro in 2007. Vrabel is also part of New England's 50th Anniversary and All-Dynasty Team, and was elected into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023.
Vrabel also caught 12 passes for the Patriots, and all 12 of them went for a touchdown. He had a touchdown reception in New England's Super Bowl XXXVIII win over the Carolina Panthers and another in the team's Super Bowl XXXVIX victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
He's turned into a pretty good coach since his playing days ended, and has enjoyed success at the NFL level. Vrabel guided the Tennessee Titans to a 54-45 record and three playoff berths over a six-year stint with the team from 2018-2023. The Titans made it to the AFC Championship Game in 2019 under Vrabel, and went 12-5 for him in 2021.
The Titans enjoyed four winning seasons under Vrabel, but the team was just 7-10 in 2022. He was fired after a 6-11 campaign in 2023.
Vrabel served as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns in 2024.
The 49-year-old got his start in coaching in 2011 at his alma mater, Ohio State, as the school's linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive line coach for 2012 and 2013. He then made the jump to the NFL in 2014 when he was named linebackers coach of the Houston Texans under Bill O'Brien. Vrabel was promoted to Houston's defensive coordinator in 2017 before he was hired by the Titans the following year.
Who else are Patriots interviewing for head-coaching job?
The Patriots actually conducted two head-coaching interviews on Tuesday, meeting with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and longtime NFL assistant Pep Hamilton. The team announced it had concluded those two interviews Tuesday afternoon.
A former quarterback, Leftwich was a coach for the Arizona Cardinals for three years before his four-year run in Tampa, where he was Tom Brady's offensive coordinator and won a Super Bowl in 2020. Hamilton has been coaching since 1997 at both the NFL and NCAA level, and also coached in the XFL in 2020.
Leftwich and Hamilton have not coached in the NFL since 2022. While both are longshots to land the job, the Patriots got to pick their brains in the interviews, and both could have provided some valuable insight on developing quarterback Drake Maye. They could also be in the running for New England's offensive coordinator job, should Alex Van Pelt be dismissed once a new head coach is hired.
New England is also set to interview the other top head-coaching candidate this offseason in Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The Lions are on their postseason bye week, which will allow Johnson to interview with teams virtually. He has been given a window of Thursday-Saturday to do so by Detroit.
Team owner Robert Kraft said Monday that the Patriots will interview a lot of candidates for their head-coaching job, but also said the team would move quickly to fill the position. Those wheels are very much in motion in Foxboro.
