Patriots insider addresses persistent Jerod Mayo, Mike Vrabel rumors

With the New England Patriots at 3-10 coming off their bye, whispers continue to suggest that Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft could replace first-year head coach Jerod Mayo with a proven commodity such as former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. 

Patriots/NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated addressed the topic on Thursday and said he thinks the club would "have to be a disaster" through Week 18 for the Krafts to go down such a road.

"I’d say the Kraft family has respect for the job Mayo’s done this year, keeping his team engaged and weathering a tough media environment -- one that all included the likes of his predecessor, Bill Belichick," Breer explained. "Of course, the Krafts have to shoulder some blame for that, too. They were the ones who quietly arranged a coach-in-waiting situation for Mayo without Belichick’s blessing, which was always a risky proposition -- and predictably blew up on them when the 2023 season went careening off a cliff."

Reports from earlier this week indicated Jonathan Kraft is not yet "as onboard with Mayo as his father" and said that Mayo could be fired if the Patriots are "blown out" across their final four games of the season. While ESPN's Jeremy Fowler later mentioned the Patriots could add "more experience" to Mayo's staff this winter instead of starting over, few would argue that Vrabel would be an upgrade. 

A one-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Award winner, Vrabel earned three Super Bowl rings playing for the Patriots from 2001-08 and was linked with the club as far back as last fall even before he was shown the door by the Titans. The New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys are among the teams that could reach out to Vrabel at any time. 

"Everyone knows Mayo got the job a year or two before anyone thought he would," Breer said. "So, I think the Krafts will show him grace for that." 

Breer may be right, but the situation could change depending on what happens during a stretch of games that begins with Sunday's matchup at the 6-7 Arizona Cardinals. As of Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Patriots as six-point underdogs for that contest.