Subscribe
Follow Us
The New England Patriots wasted no time getting their offseason started on Sunday as they fired head coach Jerod Mayo just hours after the regular season finale wrapped up. The move came as somewhat of a surprise after Mayo went 4-13 in his first season as head coach with a roster that nobody is going to mistake for a contender.
Despite that, the Patriots feel like the grass may be greener on the other side, and a familiar face may be at the top of their wish list. former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel is New England's top candidate to replace Mayo as head coach, according to Patriots insider Tom E. Curran.
“Last 4 games were untenable. This move wasn’t anticipated. Disorganization became too much to take,” Curran reported on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s safe to presume Vrabel is No. 1 candidate. Anticipate personnel department getting more time to right ship and fix roster.”
Vrabel is an obvious candidate for any head coach opening in this cycle, and his ties to the Patriots make that a hand-in-glove fit. He was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans for six seasons, finishing with a 54-45 career record and three playoff appearances. He led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game in 2019 and the conference's No. 1 seed in 2021.
Patriots' head coaching candidates after firing Jerod Mayo
The Patriots are entering a crucial head coaching search as they look for the franchise's next leader. Drake Maye has all the makings of a franchise quarterback, and now it is on the front office to get the coach right and surround him with talent to turn this team back into a contender.
Mike Vrabel is an obvious candidate for the Patriots job given his history there and his success as a past head coach in the NFL, but there are some other clear candidates that would be good hires on the surface as well.
The Patriots have already requested an interview with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media. Johnson is going to be one of the most highly-coveted candidates in this cycle, just like he was in last year's cycle. Johnson has proven that he is one of the league's elite play callers and play designers, and the Lions have great game plans and well-thought out schemes on a weekly basis.
Pairing Johnson with a talent like Maye would be a home run hire. Even though the roster is still a year away from being competitive, especially on the offense, adding a mind like Johnson would give the Patriots a great foundation on that side of the ball.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is another good candidate for the Patriots' opening, although that seems unlikely. If the Patriots are going to go with a defensive guy, Vrabel seems like the obvious choice, but Glenn is going to get a lot of interest around the league as well.