It sure sounds as though Vrabel is the leading option for owner Robert Kraft.
The 49-year-old has sufficient coaching experience, most recently serving as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Browns. He previously served as the head coach of the Titans for six seasons, finishing with a 54-45 regular-season record, advancing to the postseason three times, and winning Coach of the Year in 2021.
As a head coach, Vrabel developed a strong reputation for his ability to get the most out of his players and his willingness to join them on the practice field during drills. His former players have also highlighted his football IQ, no-nonsense attitude, and relationship skills.
“He’s definitely one of my all-time favorite coaches,” said safety Kevin Byard, who played five and a half seasons for Vrabel in Tennessee. “He’s one of the few coaches I’ve ever been around that was involved in everything — offense, defense, special teams. He can coach every position on the field. Obviously, he never played quarterback, but he learned enough about the position to be able to feel like he can coach everybody.”
Vrabel started his coaching career in 2011 with the linebackers at Ohio State, where he played four seasons. He moved to the NFL in 2014 as a linebackers coach under Bill O’Brien in Houston before getting promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017.
Vrabel played in New England for eight seasons, but never coached for Bill Belichick. Kraft inducted him into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023.
“I don’t want you to take this organization for granted,” Vrabel said during his induction ceremony. “I’ve been a lot of places. This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, and great coaching. Enjoy it. It’s not like this everywhere.”
Flores is another familiar face for the Krafts, having coached in New England for 11 years.
The 43-year-old left to become head coach of the Dolphins in 2019, finishing with a 24-25 record in three seasons. His tenure was marred by a rocky relationship with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and by an alleged offer from owner Stephen Ross to lose games on purpose.
The offer from Ross was mentioned in a lawsuit Flores filed against the NFL in February 2022, claiming that the league engages in racist hiring practices.
Flores has since reflected on his time in Miami, especially after Tagovailoa called him “a terrible person” last August.
“I’ve got to use that and say, ‘Hey, how can I grow from that? How can I be better?’ That’s really where I’m at from that standpoint,” Flores said. “Do I feel like that’s me? No. But how can I grow from that situation and create a world where that’s not the case that anyone says that about Brian Flores?”
After getting fired in January 2022, Flores spent a year as senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach in Pittsburgh before getting hired as a defensive coordinator in Minnesota. Even though Flores started his coaching career under Belichick, he has since built enough connections across the league to build out his own staff.
Graham has no head coaching experience, but plenty of years as an assistant at both the college and NFL level, including seven in New England. He spent the past three seasons as defensive coordinator in Las Vegas.
The 45-year-old has interviewed for multiple head coaching positions in recent years.
If the Patriots want to go in an offensive direction, then Johnson would be the most sought-after candidate this offseason. The 38-year-old, who was also highly coveted during last year’s hiring cycle, has no obvious connection to Kraft, but the opportunity to work with quarterback (and fellow Tar Heel) Drake Maye should be a compelling selling point.
Johnson started his coaching career in 2009 as a graduate assistant at Boston College. He moved to the NFL in 2012, becoming an offensive assistant on Joe Philbin’s staff in Miami. He spent time working with the tight ends, quarterbacks, and wide receivers before leaving in 2019 to work as an offensive quality coach for Matt Patricia with this Lions.
Johnson stayed in Detroit after Patricia was fired in 2020 and ascended to offensive coordinator in 2022. He has since emerged as one of the most innovative and successful playcallers in the league.
If Kraft wants to make a splash, Johnson would certainly accomplish that.
Another offensive-minded candidate is Coen, who is in his first season as the offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay. With Coen, quarterback Baker Mayfield had the best statistical season of his seven-year NFL career, posting career-highs in passing yards, touchdowns, and completion percentage.
The 39-year-old Coen previously worked for Sean McVay for four years, including one as offensive coordinator in 2022.
Coen, who doesn’t have any known connections to Kraft, attended LaSalle Academy in Rhode Island and started at quarterback for four seasons at UMass. He started his coaching career locally, with stops at Brown, Rhode Island, UMass, and Maine. In 2022, UMass inducted Coen into its Athletics Hall of Fame.
Nicole Yang can be reached at [email protected] her @nicolecyang.
