Patriots might go from one former player to another

After a disastrous season with a former Patriot at the helm, the New England Patriots are expected to pursue another former player. It took less than 90 minutes for the Patriots to fire Jerod Mayo after New England beat the Buffalo Bills 23-16 on Sunday, killing any chance the team had at obtaining the No. 1 pick in the draft.

New England will be looking for its second head coach in two years, but this time it feels different. After moving on from Bill Belichick a season ago, Mayo taking over was inevitable. He was the chosen successor by Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots, and had been for a couple of years. This time around, New England will interview top head coaching candidates.

Patriots fired HC Jerod Mayo, league sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/rZUOOoKmVC
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 5, 2025

Mayo joins Rod Rust as the second one-and-done head coach in Patriots history. According to a report by The Atheltic's Chad Graff and RJ Kraft (no relation to Robert), early signs point to the Patriots heavily pursuing Mike Vrabel. Vrabel, like Mayo, is a former Patriot, having played in New England from 2001 to 2008. Unlike Mayo though, Vrabel has previous head coaching experience, spending six seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, making three playoff appearances during that stretch.

“There’s got to be clear communication with ownership so that we understand as coaches what the expectations are,” Vrabel told The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt about what he wants from his new team. “And I would like to be able to say that there’s a quarterback that you feel like you can win with — or that there’s a path to find the one that you can win with.”

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium

Robert Kraft will be looking for his team's second head coach in two years / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

According to Graff and Kraft, sources close to the Patriots and Vrabel believe New England checks those boxes. The Patriots have a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye and other young stars such as running back Rhamondre Stevenson, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive linemen Keion White and Christian Barmore.

Vrabel reportedly expressed interest in the Patriots job last season after being fired by Tennessee before learning that Mayo was the chosen successor. Other candidates for the job in New England include Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who was in New England from 2008-2018. Unlike a season ago, when New England hired Mayo less than a week after firing Belichick, this head coaching search should take longer.