Less than one week after firing Jerod Mayo as their head coach, the New England Patriots appear to be closing in on their next franchise leader. At least, that is how oddsmakers see it, with Mike Vrabel slowly becoming the sizable betting favorite to land the job.

Several sportsbooks have already released odds for the Patriots' next head coach. In a semi-surprising turn of events, Vrabel has blossomed into a whopping 4-1 favorite to succeed Mayo on Bovada Sportsbook.

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, a former Patriots assistant and product of Bill Belichick's vast coaching tree, has the next-best odds at +400. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is third at +600.

Vrabel, 49, has quickly become the biggest name associated with the league's vacant head coaching positions. Along with the Patriots, he has been linked to the Las Vegas Raiders, who also fired their first-year head coach at the end of the regular season.

Vrabel spent the 2024 season as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns. He is best known as a coach for his six-year stint as the Tennessee Titans head coach, which he held until his firing in 2023. His name was mentioned during numerous head coaching hires in 2024, but he could not land a prominent role after being released by Tennessee.

Mike Vrabel's Jerod Mayo, Patriots connection

Cleveland Browns advisor Mike Vrabel during practice at the Browns training facility in Berea, Ohio.
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Before his coaching career, Vrabel spent eight of his 14 years as a player in the NFL with the Patriots. The linebacker signed with the team in 2001 and went on to win three Super Bowls while being named a first-team All-Pro in 2007.

Ironically, Vrabel is a former teammate of Mayo. The two were both members of the 2008 Patriots team, which disappointingly missed the playoffs despite an 11-5 record. Mayo was a rookie that season, while Vrabel was in his 12th year and a leader of the team's defense. Both were linebackers, and Mayo's emergence was a big part of why New England traded Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs in the ensuing offseason.

Vrabel played for only two years with the Chiefs before retiring. He has been a coach ever since, beginning as the linebackers coach for Ohio State, his alma mater.