Patriots find themselves spot for Mike Vrabel with firing of Jerrod Mayo
[ad_1]
Memo to Mike Vrabel: Want to come back to Foxborough?
Just as quickly as Bob Kraft moved to replace Bill Belichick with the in-house promotion of Jerrod Mayo last year, the table is suddenly set for another familiar face to become the next coach of the New England Patriots.
Mayo was fired Sunday, shortly after the Patriots completed a 4-13 season with a win against the playoff-bound (and resting) Buffalo Bills.
And don’t make any mistakes. Vrabel, 49, is one of the hottest candidates on the market as other instructors renting bicycle ramps are undoubtedly at the top of Craft’s wish list.
So much for smokescreen.
All things patriotic: The latest New England Patriots news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
No, the Patriots owner didn’t quite put it that way in his heartfelt statement released confirming Mayo’s fate — Kraft called it “one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” yet he expressed his gratitude to those fans. Apologized to those who have endured back-to-back. The team suffered a losing streak in 13 seasons for the first time in franchise history – but by creating the vacancy they sent a clear message to Vrabel.
Finally, Vrabel interviewed with the New York Jets on Friday. Or if you prefer, forced the patriots to show their hand. There’s no doubt now that a move back to Gillette Stadium is one of the options he could consider.
Vrabel’s hire certainly won’t be a hard sell to the fan base. A little more than a week ago, during a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the “Fire Mayo” chant that rang out at Gillette Stadium said it all. Never mind the enormous challenge of filling the huge shoes Belichick has worn and the specific culture change that has come with it. Forget that Mayo took over a team with a depleted talent base due to a series of Belichick personnel moves that backfired and he rolled with a rookie quarterback, Drake Mays. Blow on patience.
They wanted him to leave.
You can bet Kraft, who once sat in the stands as a season-ticket holder before purchasing the team in 1994, will score points with the fan base by bringing back Vrabel. On top of his established coaching track record, the former linebacker (and goal-line tight end) was one of the most popular players during the franchise’s glory days, being a member of three of six Super Bowl championship teams. In 2023, Vrabel was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. It can be said that they are patriotic royal family.
Of course, the Patriots would have to follow the Rooney Rule and interview at least two minority candidates for the position — unlike last year’s case when Mayo, a Black man, met that requirement without the team. Was established because there was a loophole in the rules allowing coaches from within any caste to be promoted if it is written in their contract as assistant coach.
It will be interesting to see how the Patriots proceed. Would Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores be a candidate? While Flores, formerly the coach of the Miami Dolphins, has developed an abundant defense with the NFL’s biggest surprise team, his class-action lawsuit against the NFL and several teams — alleging discrimination and sham procedures in compliance with the Rooney Rule — Is unresolved.
Like Vrabel, Flores spent a significant portion of his NFL career with the Patriots. So, enough introduction.
Again, Vrabel’s highlights include winning two division titles during his six seasons as coach of the Tennessee Titans (56–48, including the postseason), with a dominant win in Foxboro.
Remember Tom Brady’s last game with the Patriots? It was Vrabel’s Titans who pulled off the upset by defeating the defending Super Bowl champions in the 2019 wild-card playoff game.
Now the plot may involve keeping Vrabel away from the Jets. Oh, the irony. A generation ago, the Patriots stopped hiring Belichick just 23 days after he resigned as Jets coach. Belichick, who was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells for three seasons with the Jets, had it written into his contract that he would automatically replace Tuna.
When this happened, Belichick did not want the job, apparently uncomfortable about the ownership change that had unfolded with Woody Johnson’s purchase of the franchise. Kraft negotiated a deal with the Jets that included sending a first-round pick to Parcells, who ran football operations.
Kraft’s familiarity with Belichick, who was on Parcells’ staff during his Patriots tenure, was a key factor in wanting to bring the coach back to Foxboro. And more than two decades and six Super Bowl titles later, his idea worked.
That’s not the case, however, with Belichick’s staff considering its decision to write Mayo’s promotion into his contract in 2023 as a measure to keep other teams away from the budding candidate. Relieving Mayo after just one season sends another message.
Kraft is admitting that coaching his team in the first place was a mistake. He has other regrets about his coaching moves. Although Parcells took the Patriots to the Super Bowl during the 1996 season, friction over power made the arrangement untenable. To replace Parcells, Kraft became fascinated with Pete Carroll during a marathon interview in 1997. Carroll proved himself as a winning coach, but he only lasted three seasons in New England.
Now Mayo has been out for such a short amount of time that it might make you wonder how committed Kraft was to his coach in the first place.
In any event, it’s probably “on Vrabel” for the Patriots. And for Vrabel, the prospect of answering to Kraft should be a lot more attractive than considering Madden ratings with the Jets owner.
x Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell at @JarrettBell.