Mike Vrabel returned to the New England Patriots to be their head coach this offseason after he won three Super Bowls with the team as a player.
Vrabel, 49, spent eight of his 14 seasons in his playing career as a linebacker for the Patriots and was a key cog in their defense. Vrabel is in the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Vrabel talked about why he felt this season was the right time for him to return to New England as a coach during an appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich.”
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel discusses the team’s recent free agent additions at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on March 13, 2025. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
“I think that where I ended up, ultimately, when things opened up and I started interviewing, I think it was the right time to come back. I had opportunities before to come back here in other capacities, and I felt like I wanted to have my own coaching journey, which I have and learned from a lot of great people and coaches,” Vrabel said.
Once his playing career ended in 2010, Vrabel served as the linebackers and defensive line coach at his alma mater, Ohio State, for three seasons.
Vrabel’s first year coaching in the NFL was 2014, when he was the linebackers coach for three seasons with the Houston Texans before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017.
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New England Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel walks off the field after losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3, 2008. (IMAGN)
After one season as defensive coordinator, Vrabel was hired by the Tennessee Titans in 2018 to be their head coach. Vrabel spent six seasons with the Titans in that role before being fired at the end of the 2023 season.
Vrabel spent last season with the Cleveland Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant, and he was in high demand in this year’s head coach search cycle.
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Mike Vrabel thanks fans after being inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023. (IMAGN)
“I felt like the time was right [to return]. I appreciated the interviews with [the Chicago Bears] and with the [New York Jets] and those organizations, and then once I was able to get here, we were able to get something done.”
Vrabel is tasked with turning around a Patriots team that finished last in the AFC East at 4-13 in the 2024 season.
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