Would the New England Patriots seriously consider moving on from head coach Jerod Mayo after just one season?
Any discussion around that topic should include another question: What would be the plan after parting with Mayo?
As speculation around Mayo's future has ramped up following his apparent call-out of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in Arizona on Sunday, one coaching candidate that's been mentioned is former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, who currently serves as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns after the Tennessee Titans fired him in January 2024.
Is there a realistic chance that the Patriots would look to replace Mayo with Vrabel in 2025? On Tuesday's episode of Arbella Early Edition, Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran and The MMQB's Albert Breer broke down the many dynamics at play -- starting with ESPN's Dan Orlovsky hinting that Vrabel could return to his alma mater, Ohio State, to take the head coach job if the Buckeyes fire Ryan Day.
"I would never say never, because it was sort of the same with Jim Harbaugh where he said, 'No, I'm not going back to college,' and then the alma mater (Michigan) asked enough times that they got him," Breer said, as seen in the video player above. "And maybe things go poorly for (Ohio State) ... on Saturday. But I don't see that happening right now.
"The likelihood is that (Vrabel) would return to the NFL, and I would tell you this too: I think he's at or near the top of the list of the three teams that have openings right now."
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So, Breer believes the New York Jets, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints -- who all fired their coaches mid-season -- all intend to pursue Vrabel this offseason. And if the Patriots look to change coaches, Curran says Vrabel would seriously consider returning to the franchise where he won three Super Bowls as a player from 2001 to 2008.
"Mike Vrabel would be interested in coaching for the New England Patriots," Curran said. "I think that he looks at the Patriots despite the warts that they've shown and says, 'I'd go back there.'
Breer then added that wherever Vrabel goes, he'd seek to bring in a completely new regime along with him.
"I think he has a real idea of what it should look like and what he would want it to look like going forward," Breer said of Vrabel. "I think he'd bring a general manager with him. It'd probably be (former Titans director of player personnel) Ryan Cowden. I think he had an offensive coordinator in mind, maybe (Browns pass game specialist and tight ends coach) Tommy Rees, who's with him in Cleveland, maybe (ex-Patriots offensive coordinator) Josh McDaniels."
That would leave the Krafts with a dilemma: Give Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf another chance with a (hopefully) improved roster in 2025, or blow it up by hiring Vrabel and his preferred staff.
As enticing as hiring Vrabel might be, Curran is still skeptical the Krafts would pull the plug on Mayo after just one season, given their support of (and investment in) the former Patriots linebacker.
"Given the things that I know about how the Patriots have felt about Jerod Mayo all season long, they were so solidly in his corner that I would imagine that they have not moved out of his corner significantly enough to begin intimating that they would move on from him," Curran added.
If the Patriots' dysfunction continues over the final three games, however -- starting with Sunday's matchup against the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills -- the heat will only turn up on Mayo.
Check out Curran and Breer's full discussion with Early Edition host Trenni Casey in the video player above.
