Reports name 'heavy favorite' for Patriots' head-coaching job

On the same day that Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that one-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Award winner Mike Vrabel "should not be considered the immediate favorite" to become the next coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, The Athletic's Chad Graff named Vrabel "the favorite to become the" New England Patriots' next head coach. 

For a piece published on Thursday morning, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that "Vrabel is indeed the heavy favorite" for the New England gig. 

Vrabel earned three Super Bowl rings playing for the Patriots from 2001-08 and was inducted into the franchise's Hall of Fame back in the fall of 2023. Numerous stories linked him with the Patriots weeks, if not months, before team owner Robert Kraft parted ways with first-year coach Jerod Mayo following this past regular season, and some believe Kraft could hire Vrabel as soon as Thursday. 

Patriots/NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said in a mailbag published on Thursday that his "guess" for where Vrabel will land is New England. Fowler suggested that Vrabel could want "a level of personnel say or his own guys in the building," and it appears Kraft may not have any problem with that. 

"I believe Vrabel will be able to bring in his own personnel chief, and while [Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf] will stay on, he might land in a different role," Patriots beat writer Chris Mason of MassLive said in his Thursday mailbag. 

ESPN's Dan Graziano mentioned in Thursday's article that he "wouldn't rule out" Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for the New England job. However, Mason added in his piece that he'd bet "Kraft is leery of another first-year coach" and instead views Vrabel as "the safer bet."

Raiders minority owner Tom Brady shared a locker room with Vrabel when the two played for the Patriots, and they remain close. While it was reported on Wednesday that Brady's role with the Raiders "is significant," it seems that Kraft could keep Vrabel away from Las Vegas by locking the former Tennessee Titans coach down via a contract before the upcoming weekend arrives.