Why the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their next head coach - ESPN

In a move that was widely expected across the NFL, the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as head coach a week after firing Jerod Mayo.

Vrabel's prior coaching experience — in which he went 54-45 over six seasons with the Tennessee Titans with a 2-3 record in the playoffs — was appealing to the Patriots, as was owner Robert Kraft's background with Vrabel from his playing career as a linebacker in New England (2001-2008).

This is the fourth head coach that Kraft has hired since purchasing the team in 1994, the others being Pete Carroll (1997-1999), Bill Belichick (2000-2023) and Mayo (2024).

Taking a closer look, ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss answers four big questions about the Vrabel hiring, including what comes next. National reporter Dan Graziano dishes on what he's hearing about the hire, and draft analyst Matt Miller spins it forward to the draft. Finally, analyst Ben Solak grades the hire.

Vrabel has proved he can build a winning culture, which has added value for the franchise after Kraft miscalculated that Mayo, 38, was ready for the job following five years as an assistant coach.

Vrabel, 49, will bring order and structure, as well as a mastery of game management that was formed, in part, by what he learned from Belichick as a player. Belichick often noted how Vrabel was one of the smartest players he had coached. Furthermore, the Patriots need a commanding leader to unify all aspects of their football operation, something that got away from them in recent years.

Kraft had a front-row seat to Vrabel's leadership during his playing career and then as an opposing coach who had success against New England. It doesn't hurt that Vrabel is a Patriots Hall of Famer who spoke glowingly about the organization at