Despite the fact that it was reported that Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce had gained some support within the organization down the stretch of the season following a pair of surprising wins, the Raiders did make the decision to fire Pierce after just one full season as the head coach of the team. Now, with co-owner Tom Brady in the fold and more involved in making personnel decisions, it could mean that a former Patriots teammate of his is next in line to be head coach of the Raiders.

Mike Vrabel and Tom Brady were teammates in New England for eight seasons, winning three Super Bowls together in that time. Despite playing on opposite sides of the ball, Brady and Vrabel connected on ten career touchdown passes, two of which came in the postseason. And if Brady has it his way, he and Vrabel will connect one more time.

“Plenty have been connecting Vrabel with Las Vegas due to the expected influence of new minority owner Tom Brady, and it's possible the Raiders take a run at the former Titans coach,” says ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano.

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However, perhaps poetically, it's the New England Patriots who could provide the largest road block for a Brady/Vrabel reunion in the desert. Almost two days before the Raiders fired Antonio Pierce, the Patriots made the decision to cut ties with Jerod Mayo after just a single season as the head coach in New England. Those two days could prove to be crucial, as Vrabel is slated to interview with the Pats on Thursday, leaving the Raiders behind the eight-ball.

Complicating matters further, Vrabel is considered the primary target of various teams' coaching searches. The New York Jets have already interviewed the the former Titans head coach, as the Chicago Bears interviewed Vrabel on Wednesday. Assuming the Dallas Cowboys don't decide to bring back Mike McCarthy, it's likely he'll interview in Dallas as well.

Assuming Vrabel, as many expect, winds up in New England, if Brady wants to go down the road of someone with New England ties, the Raiders could make a strong push to hire current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Flores held various roles within the Patriots organization from 2004 to 2018,