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How likely is a reunion between Vrabel and Patriots? Curran and Breer originally shared their information on NBC Sports Boston
Would the New England Patriots seriously consider moving on from head coach Jerod Mayo after just one season?
Any discussion on this topic should include another question: What would be the plan after the Mayo split?
As speculation about Mayo’s future has increased following the apparent firing of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in Arizona on Sunday, one coaching candidate mentioned has been former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, who currently works as a coach and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns after hiring him from Tennessee Titans fired in January 2024.
Is there a realistic chance the Patriots would replace Mayo with Vrabel in 2025? On Tuesday’s episode of Early Arbella editionPatriots insider Tom E. Curran and MMQB’s Albert Breer broke down the many dynamics at play – starting with ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, who suggested that Vrabel could return to his alma mater, Ohio State, to take the head coaching job when the Buckeyes released Ryan day.
“I would never say never, because Jim Harbaugh was a similar thing where he said, ‘No, I’m not going back to college,’ and then his alma mater (Michigan) asked enough times that they got him. ” Breer said, as seen in the video player above. “And maybe things go bad for (Ohio State) on Saturday. But I don’t think that’s going to happen right now.”
“There’s a good chance that (Vrabel) would return to the NFL, and I would also tell you this: I think he’s at or near the top of the list of the three teams that have openings right now.”
As a result, Breer believes the New York Jets, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints — all of whom fired their coaches midseason — all intend to pursue Vrabel this offseason. And if the Patriots look to change coaches, Curran said Vrabel would seriously consider returning to the franchise where he won three Super Bowls as a player from 2001 to 2008.
“Mike Vrabel would be interested in coaching for the New England Patriots,” Curran said. “I think that despite the warts that they’ve shown, he looks at the Patriots and says, ‘I would go back there.’
Breer then added that wherever Vrabel goes, he will try to bring an entirely new regime with him.
“I think he has a good idea of what it should look like and what it should look like in the future,” Breer said of Vrabel. “I think he would bring a general manager. It would probably be (former Titans director of player personnel) Ryan Cowden. I think he may have had an offensive coordinator in mind (Browns passing game specialist and tight ends coach) Tommy Rees being with him in Cleveland, perhaps (former Patriots offensive coordinator) Josh McDaniels.
That would present the Krafts with a dilemma: Give Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf another chance with a (hopefully) improved roster in 2025, or blow them up by hiring Vrabel and his preferred staff.
As tempting as signing Vrabel may be, Curran is still skeptical that the Krafts would pull the plug on Mayo after just one season, given their support of (and investment in) the former Patriots linebacker.
“Given the things I know about how the Patriots have felt about Jerod Mayo all season, they were so firmly in his corner that I imagine they didn’t move out of his corner significantly enough to “to suggest that they were moving on from him,” Curran added.
However, if the Patriots’ dysfunction continues over the final three games – starting with Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, who are atop the AFC East – the Heat will only have an impact on Mayo.
Check out Curran and Breer’s full discussion Early edition Moderator Trenni Casey in the video player above.
