Patriots Country

Mike Vrabel Becomes Clear Favorite for Patriots HC Job

Mike Vrabel has become a clear favorite to land the New England Patriots' head coaching job.

Evan Massey

Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel heads off the field after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars – and knocking them out of the playoffs – after their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel heads off the field after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars – and knocking them out of the playoffs – after their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The New England Patriots ended up defeating the Buffalo Bills in Week 18 NFL action, which cost them the No. 1 overall pick. Unfortunately, they dropped all the way down to No. 4 overall in the draft order.

Following the win, the Patriots did make an aggressive move. They decided to fire head coach Jerod Mayo.

With that being said, they will head into the offseason looking to replace Mayo. There are quite a few candidates who could be options, but there is one clear-cut favorite that has already risen to the top.

Mike Vrabel has been connected to the New England job quite heavily over the last few weeks. Now, with Mayo officially gone, he's the obvious favorite for the job.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz has reported that there is "league-wide belief" that the Patriots would be Vrabel's first choice. He also reported that New England will interview other candidates and that Vrabel will interview with several teams.

Heading into their search, the Patriots have to find a coach who can establish a championship culture. Vrabel is the kind of coach who can do just that.

It had become clear that Mayo was not the best head coach from a "culture" perspective.

After feeling gutted by New England throwing away the No. 1 overall pick, fans can at least find happiness in Mayo being gone. Things had gotten ugly over the last two games, with Patriots fans actually chanting for the team to "Fire Mayo" and having signs saying the same.

Bringing in Vrabel would be met with big cheers from the fan base.

All of that being said, today has ended up being a very bittersweet day for New England. Losing the top pick was a huge setback, but moving on from Mayo was a step in the right direction.

Hopefully, the front office can put together a very aggressive and successful offseason and help lead the Patriots back to being a competitive football team in 2025.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

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