Most looked at the list of teams with head coach openings this offseason and figured the Patriots were the team that could pretty much pick whomever they wanted. So, as long as they were still looking for a head coach, the other teams — including the Raiders — would seem to take a backseat to them.
Not anymore.
The Patriots have agreed to terms with Mike Vrabel to ge their next head coach.
Homecoming: Mike Vrabel and the Patriots reached a multi-year agreement to make him New England’s next head coach, per sources.
Vrabel now is the seventh individual to become the head coach for a franchise he once helped win a Super Bowl as a player, joining Jerod Mayo, Bart… pic.twitter.com/LR3cpdHNQf
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2025
This is a move most were expecting to happen. The former Patriots linebacker and Titans head coach took a year off from coaching and was considered possibly the most desirable head coach candidate available. Though most thought his return to coach for the team with which he once won a Super Bowl was the most likely scenario.
The Patriots did interview other candidates, including Ben Johnson, who is probably the number one head coach candidate among active coordinators.
Johnson held virtual interviews with both the Patriots and Raiders on Friday and the Bears and Jaguars on Saturday.
It’s very possible that the Raiders are the most inticing job opening of those three teams, being that Johnson would have the chance to build the team as he sees fit. He would have some say in who the next GM will be and whether he wants to try and find the new franchise QB this offseason or next.
The other two teams looking for new head coaches are the Saints and Jets.