Patriots owner Robert Kraft opens up about replacing Jerod Mayo with Mike Vrabel

Long before first-year New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel guided the club to a Super Bowl LX matchup versus the Seattle Seahawks, Patriots owner Robert Kraft parted ways with head coach Jerod Mayo last winter after Mayo went 4-13 in his one season on the job.

In January, Kraft shared that firing Mayo was one of "the worst financial" moves he has had to make as owner of the franchise. During a recent sit-down chat with NBC Sports, Kraft explained how he chose Vrabel as Mayo's replacement. 

Mike Vrabel impressed Robert Kraft as a player and as a coach

"I remember him as a player, and he was really physical, spirited, and a team guy," Kraft said about Vrabel, per Joe Rutland of Pro Football Network. "All team, you know, which meant he had boundaries. And, you know, I watched what he did [as head coach of the Tennessee Titans] and thought he did a great job."

Vrabel earned three Super Bowl rings playing for the Patriots from 2001 through the 2008 season, and he was inducted into the franchise's Hall of Fame in the fall of 2023. As head coach of the Titans, Vrabel went 54-45 across six regular seasons. He guided Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game in January 2020 and won the Associated Press Coach of the Year Award for the 2021 campaign.   

"I had hoped that the decision I had made with Jerod would have worked out better," Kraft continued. That may be true, but the perception exists that Kraft knew when he showed Mayo the door that Vrabel would be New England's next coach. 

What Robert Kraft "can’t stand" as owner of the Patriots

"I can’t stand losing," Kraft added. “And I just, probably the best decisions I’ve made in my life, they don’t teach that at Harvard Business School. I go with my nose and instinct. I just felt like [Vrabel] was the right guy for our team, and I’m glad things have worked out as they did this year."

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list the Patriots as 4.5-point underdogs against the Seahawks. Judging by Kraft's comments, it sounds like that line wouldn't make New England losing to Seattle this Sunday any easier to swallow for the six-time Super Bowl champion owner.