Mike Vrabel left Tom Brady hanging in hilarious fashion by taking Patriots job
By Mark Powell
The New England Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel as their next head coach. This should come as no surprise, as Vrabel was always the presumed favorite. The Patriot Way has been lost since Tom Brady left the Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers near the tail end of his career. Vrabel has been hired, in part, to help restore that great culture – which is something he hinted at during his Patriots Hall of Fame induction speech back in 2023.
“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," Vrabel said at the time.
Since 2023, however, whatever was left of the Patriot Way has evaporated. New England went 4-13 this year and fired Jerod Mayo after just one season. When reflecting on the decision to hire Mayo in the first place, Robert Kraft blamed himself, saying he wasn't ready. Unlike Mayo, Vrabel brings with him plenty of coaching experience.
Mike Vrabel leaves Tom Brady hanging to coach Patriots
Prior to landing in New England, Tom Brady – now a minority owner with the Las Vegas Raiders – had interest in hiring Mayo to replace Antonio Pierce. Given the Raiders were a little over a day behind thanks to their strange process in letting Pierce walk, they will now have to look elsewhere.
Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, when Brady was brought into football operations by the Raiders, some within the organization believed he would hand deliver Vrabel if needed.
Last year, Tom Brady’s presence at the final practice of the Raiders season led some in the organization to believe Mike Vrabel was on his way. It didn’t happen, but the Brady/Seymour/Vrabel connection is one that’s lingered there.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 7, 2025
Vrabel could get plenty of control in Vegas. https://t.co/Bv2DiRBv2X
This, of course, will not occur. Timing was always working against the Raiders hiring Vrabel, whether it be waiting an extra day to fire Pierce or the simple fact that the Patriots – the one team Vrabel would want to coach over all others – had an opening at the same time Brady and Vegas were looking.
Brady is a productive influencer for the Raiders despite whiffing on Vrabel, who was one of the most coveted coaches of this cycle. Vegas could arguably use an offensive-minded head coach after suffering through a season-plus of ineffeciency on that side of the football. Ben Johnson remains available, along with Bobby Slowik of the Houston Texans.
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