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Mike Vrabel

Head Coach

Biography

COACHING

Mike Vrabel was introduced by Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft as the 16th head coach in franchise history in a press conference at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 13, 2025.

"In the interview process, Mike showed us that he had a very deep understanding of our current team and, most importantly, he had a clear and focused strategy of how to get us back to a championship way that is so important to all of us, but also something that I think our fan base really deserves and expects," Kraft said.

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. Vrabel is the seventh individual to become the head coach for a franchise he once helped win a Super Bowl as a player and the only one with three Super Bowl wins, joining Jerod Mayo (New England - 1), Bart Starr (Green Bay- 2), Forrest Gregg (Green Bay- 2), Art Shell (Oakland- 2), Jeff Saturday (Indianapolis - 1) and Jason Garrett (Dallas -2).

Said Vrabel after being hired by the Patriots, "In the end, it was clear to me, and to my family, and my soul, that this was the place that I wanted to be. I'm excited, excited to get to work, excited to meet the people in this building that have made this special, find out what they need, find out how I can help them, how we can enhance the things that they do well, and then find out what the areas of focus are and get to work."

Vrabel is the second head coach for the Patriots that was formerly a Patriots player. He is the sixth Patriots head coach in team history to have played professional football. The five other Patriots head coaches that played professional football include: Lou Saban (1960-61), Mike Holovak (1961-68), Clive Rush (1969-70), Raymond Berry (1984-89) and Jerod Mayo (2008-15).

Vrabel has spent his football life around accomplished leaders. After entering the NFL as a player in 1997, he played or coached under Bill Belichick, Bill Cowher, Romeo Crennel, Urban Meyer and Bill O'Brien. He gleaned attributes from each that helped form his philosophies as a head coach.

"We're going to be moving," said Vrabel. "We're going to demand effort and finish. People ask what non-negotiables are — our effort and our finish is going to be the contract we make with our teammates … Time to get to work."

Vrabel 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 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 Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien 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.

With playoff appearances in 2019, 2020 and 2021, Vrabel became the sixth head coach in Oilers/Titans history to coach at least three playoff teams. The others are Jeff Fisher (six), Jack Pardee (four), Bum Phillips (three), Jerry Glanville (three) and Wally Lemm (three). The Titans won back-to-back AFC South titles in 2020 and 2021, marking the first time the organization accomplished the feat since the Oilers won the first three AFL Eastern division titles from 1960 to 1962. The team had not gone to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons since a seven-year postseason stretch by the Oilers from 1987 to 1993.

In his first season as head coach of Tennessee in 2018, Vrabel guided the Titans to a 9-7 record and to within one game of a playoff berth, all while enduring one of the NFL's toughest schedules. The Titans played a league-high nine games during the regular season against seven eventual playoff qualifiers, and their four wins against playoff clubs tied for the most in the league. Only New England, the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina had as many. The Titans committed only 82 penalties in 2018. Not only was that number the best in franchise history over a 16-game season, but it was also the lowest total by an NFL team since 2014.

The Titans improved from having the 13th-ranked NFL defense in 2017 to an eighth-overall ranking in 2018 (333.4 yards allowed per game). They finished third in scoring defense at 18.9 points allowed per game, their best mark since 2008. The 2018 Titans defense also ranked second in the red zone (44.7 touchdown percentage), 10th on third down (36.6 percent), sixth in passing defense (216.9 yards per game), second in touchdowns allowed (32) and first in fourth-quarter defense (65.9 yards per game).

In 2019, Vrabel led the franchise to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 2002 after posting his second consecutive 9-7 mark in the regular season. His 20 wins over the first two seasons were the second most in franchise history (Jack Pardee, 21 wins), and he became the first head coach to win multiple playoff games within the first two years. The 2019 Titans became just the third team since 1990 to bounce back from a 2-4 start (or worse) and reach a conference title game (2002, Titans and 1996, Jacksonville).

In 2020, the Titans made their second consecutive playoff appearance under Vrabel. The Titans won the 2020 AFC South title with an 11-5 record in the regular season. They finished with a 5-1 record within the division and a 6-2 mark in road games, all while navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Titans led the NFL in 2020 with a plus-11 turnover differential. Their 23 takeaways ranked seventh in the NFL, while their 12 turnovers were the second fewest in the league and tied for the ninth-lowest number since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978.

The 2020 Titans tied for second place in total offense (396.4 yards per game) and ranked fourth in scoring offense (30.7 points per game). They became the first team in NFL history to generate at least 2,500 rushing yards (2,690) and 3,500 net passing yards (3,653) while surrendering 25 or fewer sacks (25). Their 6,343 total yards and 381 first downs established franchise records, while their 491 points amounted to the organization's second-best total. The Titans joined the 1997 Detroit Lions as the only teams in NFL history to feature a 2,000-yard rusher (2,027 by Derrick Henry), a 3,000-yard passer (3,819 by Ryan Tannehill) and a 1,000-yard receiver (1,075 by A.J. Brown).

Following the 2021 season, Vrabel received one of the NFL's highest honors when he was named the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year after directing the Titans to a 12-5 regular-season record. The Titans won the AFC South, and they claimed the top seed in the AFC playoff field for the first time since 2008. They did so despite needing to use 91 total players during the season, the most in NFL history in a non-strike year. From after the final preseason roster cuts through the end of the season, the team placed 26 different players on injured reserve and 21 different players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, plus additional practice squad players that received those designations.

The 2021 Titans ranked second in rushing defense (84.6 yards allowed per game), 12th in total defense (329.8), sixth on third down (36.7 percent), sixth in scoring defense (20.8 points per game) and ninth in sacks (43). Offensively, the Titans finished fifth in rushing (141.4 yards per game) despite missing Derrick Henry for nine games due to injury. The offense also ranked eighth on third down (43.6 percent), fifth in the red zone (63.9 percent) and first in goal-to-go efficiency (87.5 percent).

AS A PLAYER

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).

Vrabel's accomplishments as a player included three Super Bowl wins (2001, 2003 and 2004), one Pro Bowl selection (2007) and an All-Pro honor (2007). He appeared in 206 NFL games and totaled 57 sacks, 722 tackles, 11 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 20 forced fumbles and 9 fumble recoveries. A cerebral and versatile athlete, he also saw action as a tight end and totaled 10 touchdown receptions. Additionally, his teams advanced to the playoffs eight times (20 postseason games), with Vrabel recording 8 postseason sacks and two additional postseason touchdown receptions.

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.

Vrabel finished his playing career after the 2010 season following two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs after being part of a trade that included QB Matt Cassel.

COLLEGE

Vrabel played defensive end for Ohio State from 1993 through the 1996 season. He set Ohio State career records with 36 quarterback sacks and 66 tackles for losses during his collegiate career. He compiled 12 sacks as a sophomore and 13 as a junior. As a senior in 1996, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. Vrabel finished his college career by being named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in both 1995 and 1996, becoming the first of two players to ever win the award twice, joining Wendell Bryant of Wisconsin.

He was named to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000 and in 2021 was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.

PERSONAL

Vrabel was born on Aug. 14, 1975, in Akron, Ohio and was named a USA Today All-American second-team pick at Walsh Jesuit High in Stowe, Ohio.

Vrabel and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Tyler and Carter. Tyler started on the offensive line for Boston College and then spent time with the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad after joining the team as a rookie free agent. Carter committed to play baseball at Wabash Valley College and then spent two seasons with Volunteer State Community College before transferring to Tennessee Tech for his final year.

Joined by former Ohio State teammates Luke Fickell and Ryan Miller, Vrabel co-founded the 2nd & 7 Foundation. The non-profit's mission is "to promote reading by providing free books and positive role models to kids in need while encouraging young athletes of the community to pay it forward." Founded in 1999 in Columbus, Ohio, the 2nd & 7 Foundation now has reading programs across the country. Students receive books from the foundation's original "Hog Mollies" series.

Vrabel returned to Ohio State in 2004 to complete his degree in exercise science.

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