Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s latest move has revealed just how much power he has over New England’s personnel decisions.
The NFL offseason is fairly young but that hasn’t stopped Mike Vrabel from already making his mark on the New England Patriots.
There’s been a sense of change in the air ever since Vrabel was hired to be the 16th coach in franchise history last month.
Not only has the former Patriots linebacker been shaping the coaching staff in his image, but he’s already begun to trim the dead roster weight while also convincing important depth players to stick around.
It’s been a breath of fresh air after how underwhelming the Jerod Mayo-centric 2024 offseason was, to say the least.
But while Vrabel hasn’t wasted any time making an impact in New England, his latest move shows just how much power he holds behind the bench.
On Wednesday, the Patriots announced that linebacker Sione Takitaki has been released from his contract. While the veteran defender’s release doesn’t seem like a big deal on its own, NFL insider Mike Reiss said the transaction could be an indication of Vrabel’s true power.
“(Takitaki’s release) reflects two things,” Reiss wrote. “Mike Vrabel has the juice on personnel as Takitaki was one of Eliot Wolf’s ‘guys,’ and also a sign of a changing defensive scheme and how player fits are different now.”
Opinion/analysis: The Patriots announced the release of LB Sione Takitaki, which reflects two things — Mike Vrabel has the juice on personnel as Takitaki was one of Eliot Wolf’s “guys”, and also a sign of a changing defensive scheme and how player fits are different now.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) February 19, 2025
Takitaki, 29, was signed by the Patriots last offseason due to his connection with executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf. The 42-year-old executive was the assistant general manager for the Cleveland Browns when the franchise drafted the former BYU defender with the 2019 draft’s 80th overall selection.
“Eliot brought me to Cleveland,” Takitaki told reporters last April. “When I got the call (from the Patriots), I was like, ‘Let’s do it man.’ He’s familiar with me. I’m familiar with him.”
Having said that, Takitaki’s release means Vrabel doesn’t care whose “guy” a player is if he doesn’t fit his scheme. It isn’t surprising that the new Patriots HC didn’t want to give the veteran LB a chance based on how noticeably his Pro Football Focus grades dropped during his first (and only) season in New England:
2023
2024
Defense
70.7
63.0
Run defense
68.2
59.5
Tackling
58.1
44.0
Coverage
70.2
65.5
Vrabel-led defenses are known for stopping the run, which is an area where the Patriots struggled last season (58.9 grade, 26th). Replacing players who didn’t help in that regard — such as Takitaki — will go a long way in solving that issue.
It’s going to be interesting to see which players the Patriots bring in who wind up fitting Vrabel’s scheme, whether they’ve previously played under him or not.
Fortunately, New England already has over $125.5 million to play with this offseason, according to Spotrac, which is the most cap space in the NFL. That number will only grow as it’s now being reported that the 2025 salary cap could jump up anywhere from $22.1 million to $26.1 million.
Regardless of how much the salary cap rises, the Patriots must do whatever it takes to give Vrabel all the tools he needs to succeed this fall. New England has gone three consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance and extending that skid would see the franchise’s longest postseason drought since the early 1990s.
