The New England Patriots made the first official hire of this coaching cycle on Sunday morning when they hired former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel as the next man to lead the franchise on the field. This move was widely expected due to Vrabel's longtime ties to the franchise, and now it's official.
However, that doesn't mean that Vrabel to the Patriots was a done deal from the beginning. Other teams were trying to get in on the Vrabel sweepstakes including the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
“A top candidate on the market, every team with a head coaching vacancy pursued Mike Vrabel,” Russini reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Despite consistent and late pushes from the Bears and Jets, New England is the team that lands him.”
It makes sense why other teams would have wanted to bring Vrabel in as their next coach. He had a very successful stint with the Titans in six seasons from 2018-23. Vrabel led the Titans to three straight AFC South titles from 2019-21 and reach the AFC Championship Game in 2019, finishing with a 2-3 career playoff record while there. Over time, the Titans' roster deteriorated and aged out of their contending window, leading him to be fired after the 2023 season.
Vrabel was widely viewed on the coaching market as one of the best culture setters out there, which makes him an attractive candidate in the same mold as someone like Dan Campbell. His Titans teams always got the most out of their talent and were scrappy and competitive each and every week. He maximized the talent that he had to work with while he was there, making him a top target for some of the league's less talented teams.
Vrabel's ties to the Patriots made this an obvious hand-in-glove fit. The linebacker played eight of his 14 NFL seasons in New England and was named First Team All-Pro for them in 2007. During his time with the Patriots, Vrabel recorded 606 tackles, 48 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and 11 interceptions. Now, he will look to restore New England to the top of the AFC as the head coach.
Outside of New England, teams like the Bears and the Jets are left looking for another candidate to become their next head coach. There are still plenty of coveted candidates out there, such as Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, that they still have to choose from.