Let’s not overthink this one.
The New England Patriots’ best offseason move is a no-brainer: hiring head coach Mike Vrabel. That’s according to CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan, who looked at the biggest change each AFC team made ahead of the 2025 season.
“New England was one of the biggest movers and shakers of the offseason, spending large in free agency on the likes of Milton Williams, Stefon Diggs, Morgan Moses and others,” Sullivan wrote Wednesday. “The Patriots also had a strong NFL Draft, headlined by the addition of No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell.
“However, the most important move they made this offseason was the hiring of Mike Vrabel as coach. Arguably, the biggest Achilles’ heel to New England’s second-straight 4-13 season in 2024 was a lack of in-game adjustments.
“Vrabel, a former Coach of the Year with the Tennessee Titans, is great in-game. While the addition of talent raises the Patriots’ ceiling for 2025, Vrabel raises the floor out of the basement, which can’t be overstated.”
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Vrabel replaced former head coach Jerod Mayo, who the Patriots fired on Jan. 5.
In six seasons as the Titans head coach, Vrabel went 54-45 during the regular season and led Tennessee to three postseason appearances. That includes the Titans’ run to the AFC Championship Game following the 2019 season, which Tennessee lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, who went on to win the Super Bowl.
Vrabel and the Patriots held their mandatory minicamp this week at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. The next time the Patriots will reassemble will be on July 22 for training camp.
