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Oct 19, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel during pre-game warmups at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Super Bowl Remains Patriots' Goal in 2026

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 7:25 AM ET

In the seasons prior to Mike Vrabel being hired as the New England Patriots' head coach, the once-dominant Patriots won just eight combined games and missed out on the playoffs for what became the second and third years in a row.

Now nearly two months removed from a trip to Super Bowl LX, the Patriots continue to have championship aspirations -- at varying levels, however.

Speaking to reporters at the NFL Annual Meetings in Arizona, Vrabel was asked about the team's expectations heading into his second year at the helm.

"Championships will remain the goal," he said. "It will never change. I appreciate Robert’s support. We want to win the division, we want to host playoff games, and we want to compete for championships. We got a taste of that. We saw what that looked like. We saw the environment that it created. To be able to play those playoff games at home, which was unbelievable and so much fun.

"I just watch the reactions and I watch the videos because that’s the part that I really didn’t get to appreciate coaching the game, is seeing the fan videos, the videos from the fans and that perspective."

Vrabel's mentioning of Robert Kraft was in reference to the owner's comments just one day prior. While acknowledging that 2025 was indeed a special season, Kraft mentioned that the team did overachieve in the first year of the Vrabel era. A midseason winning stretch bloated the Patriots' record to 14-3 by the time the postseason rolled around, and three more wins sent them to the Super Bowl.

Next season's schedule won't be as easy, though.

"My Objective Every Year Is (To) Make The Playoffs"

"We have a pretty tough schedule — I think the hardest schedule — and a lot of West Coast travel," Kraft said. "My objective every year is (to) make the playoffs. As we saw last year, when you’re privileged to make the playoffs, anything can happen."

Kraft has owned the team since 1993. Since then, he's seen his Patriots struggle in the postseason against the Denver Broncos. Last season's AFC title win in the Mile High City was something that was very special to the future Hall of Fame owner.

"But in all seriousness, I think actually the team way overachieved what any of us thought would happen, and it was wonderful," Kraft said. "And winning that championship game in Denver when we had such a past history of difficulty winning in Denver was very special. So proud of this team, and most of them are still young."

With A Tough Schedule Comes New Players

The Patriots tried to get better in the offseason, bringing in key veterans at positions of need. Alijah Vera-Tucker comes over from the New York Jets to play left guard, while defensive end Dre'Mont Jones and safety Kevin Byard will help shore up a defense that will look a bit different from a year ago. That's not even counting any potential moves that could be made at the wide receiver position to go with the boatload of money they spent on Romeo Doubs in free agency.

As for the difficult schedule, the Patriots are still aiming for championship regardless of who they have to play.

"We’ll play whoever we have to play," Vrabel said. "We understand what this looks like. We’re going to play the division winner schedule and that’s how it goes."

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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