2025 Patriots head coaching candidates: Mike Vrabel headlines potential replacements for Jerod Mayo



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The New England Patriots wasted no time responding to their 4-13 finish on Sunday, firing coach Jerod Mayo hours after the completion of his first season on the job. It was a jarring move for a team that employed its previous coach, Bill Belichick, for 24 straight seasons, and long planned for Mayo to then follow in Belichick’s footsteps. But 2024’s disappointment was prominent, and now a fresh start awaits.

Where, exactly, might the Patriots turn next? Here are six potential candidates to take over:

6. Brian Flores

It’d be a little odd for owner Robert Kraft to bet on another Belichick-mentored defensive coach after swinging and missing on Mayo, but Flores has revived his image as the no-nonsense mastermind behind the Minnesota Vikings’ opportunistic defense, and he’s at least got head coaching experience, guiding the rival Miami Dolphins to two winning seasons in three years at that post.

5. Pete Carroll

Kraft promised to usher in a new era after splitting with Belichick ahead of the 2024 campaign, but clearly that plan didn’t pan out. So what if he goes back to the future instead? Carroll reportedly wants to get back on the sidelines at 73 after a year away from the Seattle Seahawks, he spent three seasons as the Patriots’ pre-Belichick leader back in the 1990s, and he’d be a proven short-term motivator.

4. Kliff Kingsbury

Plenty of folks are still sour on Kingsbury as a top coaching candidate due to his mercurial run as the Arizona Cardinals’ head man from 2019-2022, when he went just 28-37-1. But he’s helped maximize rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator, and he was originally drafted by Kraft’s Patriots as a signal-caller back in 2003.

3. Liam Coen

The 39-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator has no overt ties to Patriots brass, but he helped take Baker Mayfield to new heights in 2024, two years after drawing internal praise as Sean McVay’s right-hand man with the Los Angeles Rams. He’s up there in terms of offensively minded prospects, and he’s also got local ties, idolizing Tom Brady while playing college ball at UMass.

If the vaunted Detroit Lions offensive coordinator has hesitated to exit his cozy setup in Motown, who’s to say he’ll finally break free for a Patriots crew almost totally devoid of offensive skill talent? Then again, Drake Maye offers plenty of upside under center, and from New England’s end, after decades of operating under a defensively geared leader, now might be the perfect time to pivot. Ownership is stable in Foxborough, which could be another draw for Johnson, whose play-calling boldness could help reinvent the Patriots’ identity.

1. Mike Vrabel

Why let one Bill Belichick disciple go just to add another? Vrabel’s actually succeeded on the big stage, guiding three playoff runs, including an AFC Championship appearance, as the Tennessee Titans’ former head coach. Better yet, he’s got even more equity in New England, starting 110 games as a three-time Super Bowl champion linebacker during the Patriots’ 2000s dynasty run. All indications are he’s very interested in taking the job, even using the rival New York Jets as a leverage piece.





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