Patriots fill HC vacancy with former team legend

Mike Vrabel. Denny Simmons/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK

Patriots fill head-coaching vacancy with former team legend

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Jan 12, 2025 11:08 AM ET

The New England Patriots wasted no time hiring a new head coach, less than a week from firing Jerod Mayo after just one year at the helm.

Granted, that single season was not promising, with the team going 4-13 and missing out on the No. 1 overall pick in the draft by winning a meaningless game in Week 18.

Former Tennessee Titans head coach and Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel will return to his old stomping grounds to lead his former team, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The news broke Sunday morning that the 49-year-old will make his return to NFL coaching after a one-year absence (he spent some time in the 2024 season as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns). He will inherit the No. 4 overall pick in the draft from Mayo as well as some promising young talent.

It feels like a full circle moment for some, as Vrabel was calling the shots on the sideline for Tennessee when Patriots legendary quarterback Tom Brady took his final snap in Foxborough — a playoff game-sealing interception against the Titans in 2019.

Mike Vrabel was the Titans head coach when the Patriots were eliminated in 2019, marking the official end of the Tom Brady era.

A new era now begins in New England with Mike Vrabel as the head coach. pic.twitter.com/gdmq0peZnc
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2025

Vrabel spent eight seasons with New England during his playing career, winning three Super Bowl titles, recording 606 tackles, 48 sacks, 11 interceptions and 10 career receptions — all of them touchdowns.

He was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023 in a ceremony where his speech hinted at his wanting to return to his old home.

"I’ve been a lot of places. This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, and great coaching. Enjoy it — it’s not like this everywhere," he told the adoring crowd.

In what could be another full circle moment for Vrabel, New England is scheduled to play Tennessee in 2025. It's a game many will have circled on their calendars as a potential grudge match for the man who spent six years in Nashville.

Vrabel went 54-45 with the Titans (.545), winning two of five playoff appearances and reaching as far as the AFC title game in 2019.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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