It didn’t take long for Harold Landry to look at the New England Patriots as a potential destination in NFL free agency.

When he realized that his time with the Tennessee Titans might be drawing to a close, the talented edge rusher zeroed in on his former head coach, Mike Vrabel, who’s now running the show in Foxboro.

After being released by the Titans, Landry ultimately signed a three-year deal worth $43.5 million ($26.5 million guaranteed) with the Patriots in March.

“Once I saw how things were going and the writing was on the wall (in Tennessee), this was definitely a place I wanted to be,” Landry told reporters Tuesday at Gillette Stadium, where the team continued its offseason workouts.

“I was excited about the staff (Vrabel) was putting together. I just felt this was the right place for me. I’m excited to be here.”

Vrabel took over as Titans head coach in 2018 and drafted Landry in the second round that same year. He coached Landry for five seasons before leaving Tennessee after the 2023 campaign. Landry’s familiarity with Vrabel made the Patriots a great fit for him in free agency.

“He’s meant a lot. He’s played a big role in my development as a player, and also as a person,” Landry said of Vrabel. “I was excited to come back because he knows my skill set. He knows how I operate and how I think. Throughout my career, he and his staff have done a great job of putting me in positions to go out and be productive and help the team, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.

“That was one of the main reasons I came because I knew Vrabes and his staff knew me, the familiarity with the scheme and all of it. It just fits with what I do with my skill set.”

What can Patriots players expect from Vrabel?

“Just upbeat. He wants everybody to be excited when they come to work,” Landry said. “He’s big on that. He’s big on the energy. That’s just who he is.

“Everybody looks at him as this head coach, but he’s really just one of the boys, a locker room guy. And I really mean that. He wants to get to know you, know about your family and everything that goes along with being in a relationship with you. He’s the same guy every day. A very consistent person. He’s not going to switch it up on you at all.”

Landry tallied nine or more sacks in four of the previous five seasons with the Titans. He posted nine sacks and four pass breakups in 17 games for Tennessee last season. His addition gives the Patriots roster some much-needed pass rushing skill for a defense that ranked dead last in sacks in 2024.