The New England Patriots came crashing back down to earth in Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs, suffering a 27-17 loss for their 11th defeat of the season. After the Pats somehow grinded out a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14, Bill Belichick and company couldn't concoct a game plan that helped them get past the struggling Chiefs.
With this defeat in hand, the Patriots mercifully only have three more games to play this season before they can put this horrid campaign behind them and turn to 2024. But as the offseason draws closer, Belichick's unstable future with the Pats will come more into focus, and with each loss, it looks more and more likely he won't be coaching this team in 2024.
Rumors began to spread last week suggesting that Robert Kraft decided after New England's loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany that this would be it for Belichick, and if that is the case, they need a plan for who should replace him. So rather than focus on whether this is the end for Bill Belichick in New England, let's take a look at the three best replacement options for the Pats should he end up leaving.
Bobby Slowik
The Patriots have a roster full of problems, but their offense is glaringly incompetent, and it's time for some massive changes. They need to embrace the modern way NFL offenses are being run, which involves spreading out opposing defenses to create easy downfield throws for their quarterback. In that regard, it's tough to ignore what Bobby Slowik has done with the Houston Texans offense this year.
Slowik comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, having risen through his ranks with the San Francisco 49ers to become their offensive passing game coordinator in 2022. That earned him the Texans offensive coordinator job this season, and Houston has looked phenomenal in the first year of the C.J. Stroud era. While they have talented playmakers like Nico Collins and Tank Dell, the offensive scheme implemented by Slowik has played a big role in their success for sure.
Whoever ends up being the Patriots new quarterback next season is going to need a more modern offensive scheme in order to succeed, and that's where Slowik would come into play. He's only 36 years old, but this guy is an offensive mastermind, and while other top candidates here are more defensive-minded, New England may be better off trying to find an offensive-minded coach to lead their rebuild.
Jerod Mayo
The most logical in-house candidate is Jerod Mayo, who was widely believed to be Bill Belichick's successor after Robert Kraft went out of his way to negotiate a new deal to entice Mayo to not take another head coach opening elsewhere in the league. Many speculated that he was guaranteed the job once Belichick was done, and it certainly seems like he's going to be done after this season.
Mayo is a strong defensive-minded coach who has helped keep that side of New England's squad in good shape over the past few seasons. He has a background with the Patriots, having spent his entire eight-year playing career with the team, and now rising through their ranks as a coach after joining their staff in 2019. Mayo is familiar with the team, the environment, and the expectations in Foxboro, MA, which cannot be overstated.
At this point, Mayo is probably the most realistic candidate to replace Belichick. He's seemingly been groomed for this job for years, and if he weren't to get this gig, there's a decent chance he would just take a head coach job somewhere else. He may not necessarily be a home run pick, but it's always going to be tough to replace the greatest head coach of all time, and Mayo may just be the easiest replacement option for Kraft this offseason.
Mike Vrabel
If there's a home run replacement for Bill Belichick, it would be Mike Vrabel, who is currently the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. No, Vrabel's contract with the Titans isn't up, so they would have to get a bit creative to bring him back to New England, but where there's a will, there's a way, and with recent rumblings about Vrabel's job security flaring up, now may be the perfect time to strike.
Similar to Mayo, Vrabel is familiar with the New England region, having spent eight years of his playing career in Foxboro, and winning three Super Bowls with them. As a coach, Vrabel helped turn the Titans into a consistent contender, although he has been done-in by a poor roster and a front office that can't seem to figure out which direction they want to go in.
Vrabel is a defensive-minded coach who isn't afraid to push the needle on offense either. He built the Titans offense up by relying heavily on his superstar players in Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown, and if he was given a more talented roster to work with, they probably could have been a legit Super Bowl contender at their peak. Vrabel is already revered in New England, and bringing him back to town would reduce the sting of losing Belichick, while also providing this squad with their best shot to become a playoff contender as soon as possible.
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