The New England Patriots fired Jerod Mayo on Sunday, immediately after the head coach finished his first season as Bill Belichick’s successor. The move may or may not have been made with another ex-Belichick disciple in mind, as CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala reports former Patriots star Mike Vrabel, a hot candidate in the 2025 coaching cycle, has his own eyes on the New England vacancy.
Vrabel, in fact, recently interviewed for the rival New York Jets’ head-coaching job in part to “put pressure on [the] Patriots to make a move,” Kinkhabwala reported Sunday. With Drake Maye, last year’s No. 3 overall draft pick, in place at quarterback and an NFL-leading $131.5 million in projected 2025 salary cap space, the Patriots suddenly register as one of the most attractive jobs on the market, per Kinkhabwala.
SNY echoed Kinkhabwala’s reporting Sunday, indicating that Jets sources pinpointed the Patriots as chief competition for Vrabel’s services after the coach’s recent interview: “New York has a really good shot” at landing Vrabel, they insisted recently, “as long as the New England job doesn’t open.”
It helps that Vrabel has a built-in connection to the franchise. While he’s best known as the former head coach of the Tennessee Titans, guiding three straight playoff runs during a six-year stint in that post, Vrabel spent the bulk of his NFL playing career in New England, appearing in 125 games as a Pro Bowl linebacker for Belichick’s defense, helping the Patriots win three different Super Bowls as a starter.
The 49-year-old Vrabel, who spent 2024 as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns, is also in the Patriots Hall of Fame, one of the top honors bestowed by longtime team owner Robert Kraft.
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