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Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive
coordinator Byron Leftwich, former Houston Texans offensive
coordinator Pep Hamilton and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator
Ben Johnson also interviewed for the job.
But Vrabel, a fan favorite during eight seasons as a player in
New England where he was a member of its first three Super Bowl
winners and an inductee into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023,
was the preferred candidate because of his long association with
the franchise and coaching success during his six seasons with
Tennessee.
In hiring the 49-year-old Vrabel, Kraft is turning to another
former Patriots defensive standout who, like Mayo, built a
reputation as a coach for his ability to relate to players.
But Mayo, who served as assistant under former longtime Patriots
coach Bill Belichick, was a first-time head coach and struggled
to get results from a young roster led by rookie quarterback
Drake Maye. In explaining Mayo’s dismissal, Kraft said that
while he thought he’d identified the successor to Belichick, in
hindsight he believes Mayo wasn’t quite ready to be an NFL head
coach.
Vrabel, however, arrives with a resume burnished by a 56-48
overall record with Tennessee from 2018 to 2023. That includes a
2-3 record in the playoffs and an AFC championship game
appearance in 2019 as part of a run of three straight postseason
berths.
Vrabel served as a consultant for Cleveland this season, but his
contract expired, allowing him to speak with other teams. He
also was interviewed by the New York Jets and Chicago Bears, who
are still seeking coaches. Vrabel was also thought to be a
candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders' coaching job because of his
connections with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, but he never
interviewed with Las Vegas.
Now, Vrabel will look to rebuild the franchise he’s been
associated with most during his NFL career.
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