Patriots Formally Introduce Mike Vrabel As the 16th Head Coach in Team History…

The New England Patriots introduced Mike Vrabel as their new head coach at a press conference at Gillette Stadium today. The 2021 NFL Coach of the Year becomes the 16th head coach in franchise history.

Vrabel is a three-time Super Bowl champion with New England and was voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023. He is recognized as one of the most versatile linebackers and best free agent signings in team history.

He has 14 years of coaching experience, including 11 years in the NFL and three seasons at Ohio State. The Tennessee Titans hired him as their head coach in 2018, and he led the Titans to two division titles and three playoff appearances during his six seasons at the helm. In 2019, the Titans upset the Patriots in Foxborough in the wild card round, then defeated the No. 1 seed Ravens in Baltimore the following week to advance to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. In 2021, the Titans claimed the top seed in the AFC with a 12-5 record, earning Vrabel NFL Coach of the Year honors.

Vrabel retired from the NFL in July of 2011 after a 14-year playing career with Pittsburgh (1997-2000), New England (2001-08) and Kansas City (2009-10). He became the linebackers coach at Ohio State in 2011 and then served as the defensive line coach for the Buckeyes for two seasons (2012-13). In 2014, Vrabel was hired by the Houston Texans as the linebackers coach (2014-16) and was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Texans in 2017. After six seasons as the head coach of the Titans (2018-23), he spent last season with the Cleveland Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant.

Vrabel joined the Patriots before the 2001 season, following a four-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was used primarily on special teams and as a reserve linebacker after being drafted in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft (91st overall) out of Ohio State. During his eight-year tenure in New England, Vrabel played a major role in the Patriots dynastic run that included three Super Bowl championships in four years (2001, 2003 and 2004). He exemplified positional versatility during his Patriots career by starting at both inside and outside linebacker, regularly lining up on offense in short-yardage and goal-line situations and continually making valuable contributions on various special teams units.

As a Patriot, he caught eight regular season passes and two more in the playoffs. All 10 of his receptions were for touchdowns, including receptions in back-to-back Super Bowl wins over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII and Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. He earned Pro Bowl and First-Team Associated Press All-Pro honors following the 2007 season, the year the Patriots became the first team in NFL history to win 18 consecutive games in one season. During his Patriots career, Vrabel helped propel the Patriots to multiple NFL and franchise-record win streaks, including 21 consecutive wins (2003-04), 21 consecutive regular season wins (2006-08), 21 consecutive wins at home (2002-05) and 10 straight playoff victories (2001-05). During the 2006 season, he played a major role when the defense set a then-franchise record by allowing just 14.8 points per game.