Tag: Mike Vrabel

2025 Free Agency: Cowboys defender projected as $100 million signing for 1st-year AFC coach

The Cowboys Osa Odighizuwa is seen as a great fit for an AFC East team that is starting anew, again.

The Dallas Cowboys have a lengthy list of free-agent players who could be just as attractive to other organizations as they are to Dallas. The biggest name on the list might just be defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. The 2021 third-round pick doesn’t have a huge number of career sacks, but he’s been a effective disruptor and teams always thirsty for a player with his skillset.

Odighizuwa set his career high in sacks in 2024 with 4.5. His strength has always been in disruption, consistently ranking among the best defensive tackles in advanced analytics. And that will likely make him a top target for at least a handful of teams. Pro Football Focus thinks one of those should be the New England Patriots under new head coach Mike Vrabel.

Mike Vrabel inherits a roster that needs a boost at nearly every position group, and New England holds the cap space to do so this offseason. New England’s interior was especially ineffective in 2024, totaling the lowest pressure rate from defensive tackles (7.6%) in 2024. Odighizuwa would be an instant upgrade, having recorded two consecutive seasons with a 78.0-plus PFF pass-rush grade and a 14%-plus win rate.

After a year away from the game, Vrabel landed back in New England where he spent much of his playing career. The former Tennessee Titan head coach took over after Bob Kraft dismissed Jerod Mayo after just one season.

Earlier in this offseason, Odighizuwa ranked No. 30 on Pro Football Focus’ list of top pending free agents. As part of their exercise, PFF finds a previous free agent to compare to. Odighizuwa’s comp is Nnamdi Madubuike, who signed with Baltimore last offseason on a four year, $98 million contract.

Per PFF, Madubuike signed for 9.6% of the 2024 cap. With NFL teams preparing for a 2025 salary cap between $265 million and $275 million, that percentage would put a four-year deal for Odighizuwa’s north of $100 million.

It would also put Dallas in line for a third-round compensatory pick in 2026 if they came out on the plus side of the ledger in free agents lost vs signed.

Patriots legend makes prediction on struggling defense under Mike Vrabel

Patriots legend Vince Wilfork is excited for the Mike Vrabel era in New England

Former New England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork opened up on the recent struggles surrounding the team and Mike Vrabel’s ability to fix them as the new head coach.

Wilfork played with Vrabel from 2004-2008, and the two were key components to success on defense for New England. He admitted the unit has been so bad recently that he has turned off the television instead of watching them play.

With Vrabel taking over the team, however, Wilfork believes the change will be felt immediately for the unit.

“I tell you what, Vrabel is going to nip that in the tail real quick,” Wilfork told Mass Live’s Karen Guregian. “That’s why I’m so happy and excited that he’s in charge.”

That’s a strong endorsement coming from one of the all-time great Patriots players.

Fans and Patriots alumni alike have high expectations for Vrabel, as he looks to lead the team back to the top of the AFC East and a perennial playoff contender.

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Here’s why Patriots retained top assistant on new staff

Jeremy Springer sticking around is a good thing for the Patriots

Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer is one of the few remaining coaches from the previous staff with the New England Patriots.

Coach Mike Vrabel was obviously intrigued by the success he had with the special teams unit, which ranked second in the NFL overall, according to Pro Football Focus.

However, ESPN’s Mike Reiss also suggested a connection with special teams coach Chase Blackburn while with the Los Angeles Rams as a possible factor. Blackburn spent time working with Vrabel during his run with the Tennessee Titans.

Reiss wrote:

One connection that might have contributed to Vrabel’s decision to retain special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer is with Los Angeles Rams special teams coach Chase Blackburn. Springer and Blackburn worked together in L.A. in 2023, the year after Blackburn had spent the 2022 season on Vrabel’s staff in Tennessee.

Springer will look to continue the consistency of the special teams unit on a revamped coaching staff that appears to be headed in the right direction.

Vrabel has hired what some believe to be an all-star staff on paper. Whether that translates into more wins or not in 2025 remains to be seen.

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Drake Maye reveals biggest positive about Patriots coach Mike Vrabel

Mike Vrabel’s experience is a huge plus for Patriots QB Drake Maye

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has already spoken to newly-hired coach Mike Vrabel.

The 22-year-old signal-caller is currently in Orlando for the Pro Bowl Games, and he spoke with SiriusXM about Vrabel taking over as head coach. According to Maye, one of the biggest positives about Vrabel is that he’s “been a head coach” and knows what it’s like.

“(Vrabel) reached out to me, we got on the phone,” Maye said, as transcribed by Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan. “He’s been awesome. Obviously a guy who has done it, played in the league, won a Super Bowl; you have a respect of what he’s done and seen what he’s done. I think the biggest thing is he’s been a head coach, and he knows what it’s like. So (I’m) excited to get up to New England and get things going.”

Former Patriots coach Jerod Mayo was a rookie head coach last season. So there were some stumbling blocks along the way as he worked hard to improve in that role.

There’s hope that the Patriots can benefit from a more experienced coach like Vrabel, who led the Tennessee Titans to three consecutive postseason appearances and an AFC Championship Game.

It will be exciting to see the Vrabel-Maye dynamic moving forward. Maye is looking to build off a solid rookie year, and Vrabel has the experience to help take the young quarterback’s talents to new heights.

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DC Terrell Williams reveals the big draw for coming to New England

Terrell Williams admits Mike Vrabel was a “big, big draw” for him to come to New England

New England Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams opened up about why he chose to come to the Patriots organization in a video posted on the team’s social media account.

Williams served as the defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions last season. He previously worked as a defensive line coach and assistant head coach during Mike Vrabel’s run with the Tennessee Titans.

The opportunity to link back up with Vrabel was a “big draw” for Williams to New England.

“A big reason for coming here was Mike Vrabel,” said Williams. “You know, just believing in him and who he is. I know what he is as a coach. I know who he is as a family man, so that’s important to me. So just having the chance to get back with Mike was a big, big draw for me.”

Williams’ coaching background yielded positive results in both Detroit and Tennessee. The Lions’ defensive unit was one of the most productive in the NFL last season.

One has to wonder how Williams will put his stamp on a Patriots defensive unit that struggled mightily.

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Eliot Wolf admits Patriots coach Mike Vrabel makes jobs easier

Eliot Wolf shares early impressions of Patriots coach Mike Vrabel

New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf opened up about working with new coach Mike Vrabel for the first time. Both are in Mobile for the Senior Bowl with the team scouting the top college talent for the 2025 NFL draft.

Wolf is one of the holdovers from previous Patriots’ regimes. Vrabel has been hard at work making the personnel and coaching staff his own with a slew of hirings to kick-start a crucial offseason.

Wolf spoke to Patriots.com about the transition and the collaboration aspect, as the team prepares for the draft in April.

“It’s been awesome. We’re getting to know each other a little bit. The thing I like about it, it’s very focused and intentional,” said Wolf. “[Coach Vrabel] knows exactly what he wants. He’s done it before. He knows ball. He can talk through every position really well. He’s already detailed about what he’s looking for, so that makes our jobs easier.”

The Patriots own the fourth overall pick in the draft, so there are many directions they can take. They are in an advantageous position considering many view this as being a top-heavy draft.

Collaboration will be needed on multiple levels to ensure they land a rookie capable of making an impact right out of the gates. What they decide will set the trajectory for the team’s entire future.

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Are Mike Vrabel’s Patriots or Aaron Glenn’s Jets the bigger threat?

Will either of the AFC East’s new coaches cause a paradigm shift in the division?

The Miami Dolphins will be facing two new head coaches in the AFC East in the 2025 season: the New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel and New York Jets’ Aaron Glenn. Interestingly, both coaches are former players for the respective teams that hired them.

Vrabel spent six seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, accruing a 54-45 record. He led the Titans to three playoff appearances, two AFC South titles, and a run to the AFC Championship in 2019. He will now coach the team he won three Super Bowls with during his playing career as a linebacker.

Glenn, a former NFL cornerback, spent the last four years on Dan Campbell’s staff as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator.

After playing a major role in bringing the Lions from the bottom of the standings to championship contenders, Glenn takes over as the Jets head coach, the team he played for during the first eight years in the NFL. Glenn reportedly called the opportunity in New York his “dream job.”

While the Buffalo Bills have reigned over the AFC East in recent seasons, the Dolphins haven’t faced much of a battle for a second place. Which of these two teams with new coaches is the bigger threat of causing a paradigm shift in the near future?

The case for the Patriots

Vrabel is a proven coach who’s had success in the NFL. Vrabel’s Titans produced winning records in his first four years as a head coach until their championship window closed and the franchise entered a rebuild.

Now he’s joining a Patriots team that is a couple years into its rebuild and selected a quarterback of the future, Drake Maye, with the No. 3 selection in last year’s draft. They also have some established talent on defense including cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones, and defensive end Keion White.

The Patriots are currently projected to have the most cap space in the 2025 offseason with more than $120 million. New England has a chance to fill out its roster this offseason, giving Maye more help on offense while establishing Vrabel’s vision on defense.

New England is well set up in April too with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL draft along with a second-rounder and two thirds.

While the Patriots aren’t quite done with their rebuild, Vrabel’s experience and success as a head coach could spur a quick shift in the team’s mindset and yield a winning culture.

The case for the Jets

Glenn is taking over a Jets team that was expected to be a playoff contender last season with Aaron Rodgers returning from the Achillies tear he suffered on the opening drive of the 2023 season. Instead, the Jets finished 5-12 and fired both head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas midseason.

The good news for Glenn is he’s taking over a roster that already has elite talent on both sides of the football.

Glenn, a former star cornerback, will get to coach one of the best in the game in Sauce Gardner. The Jets also have fast rising pass rusher Will McDonald IV, who recorded 10.5 sacks in 2024, and linebacker Jamien Sherwood who was fourth in the NFL with 154 tackles. The Jets also secured three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Quinnen Williams to a deal through the 2027 season.

The Jets’ roster appears to be good enough to succeed and bringing in a coach with Glenn’s pedigree as a defensive coordinator could be the change the franchise needs to finally break through.

Prediction: Watch out for the Patriots

Even though the Jets currently have the better roster on paper, there are looming questions about the future of their key players. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t made a commitment to return in 2025. If he doesn’t, the Jets have no clear successor at quarterback. Rodgers’ decision may also impact star wide receiver Davante Adams’ future in New York.

The Jets also have multiple players nearing the end of their rookie contracts, including running back Breece Hall, receiver Garrett Wilson, and cornerback Sauce Gardner.

New York is in the bottom half of the league in cap space and is projected to have just about $20 million this offseason. This combined with the uncertainty of Rodgers’ and Adams’ future makes it hard to imagine the Jets significantly improving a roster that went 5-12 last season, unless they land impact players in the upcoming NFL draft.

New England, on the other hand, has a lot of potential to improve its roster in free agency and the draft. Adding players on offense will help Drake Maye take a step in his development in year two and further solidify him as the Patriots’ future franchise quarterback.

The Patriots wouldn’t have given up on former head coach Jerrod Mayo after one season unless they believed Vrabel’s availability was too good to pass up on. New England is bringing in an experienced head coach who’s had prior success in Tennessee.

With a head coach and quarterback in place, New England can shift its focus to free agency and the draft to build a playoff caliber roster. Considering the Patriots’ cap space and high-quality draft picks, there is a chance they could make a significant jump in the standings if their offseason decisions pan out. It would not be a surprise if New England doesn’t take look to get back to being a force in the AFC.

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Mike Vrabel’s detailed reason for bringing Josh McDaniels back to Patriots

Mike Vrabel explains what he sees in Josh McDaniels as a football coach

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel is clearly a fan of the way Josh McDaniels sees the game. It’s for that reason that he hired him to return for a third stint as offensive coordinator for the Patriots.

The hope is that McDaniels’ offensive coaching can help rejuvenate the Patriots’ struggling offense as a whole. He told as much to CBS Boston’s Steve Burton in a recent interview, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Sean T. McGuire.

“When you talk about Josh, I just think schematically the way he teaches the quarterback, the versatility in the offense, and the base foundation of the offense,” Vrabel told Burton. “His growth, I think, in that offense, trying to put conflict on the defense in the way he structures a gameplan, in the way that he calls the gameplan.

“Having gone against him and having seen the system here as a player, and that’s evolved. There is a lot more to it than that. I know that he’s — in our conversations, worked hard and studied, visited, and met with people. We’re going to continue to add things that we feel helps our players and give us an advantage to score touchdowns and take care of the football.”

Vrabel played for the Patriots while McDaniels worked his way through Bill Belichick’s coaching ranks from 2001-2008. During that time, he got to see McDaniels contribute to winning offenses, as the trio of McDaniels, Belichick and Tom Brady helped form an unprecedented dynasty.

Now, Vrabel wants McDaniels to help start a new era. The offensive coordinator won’t have Brady anymore, but he will have a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye.

The second-year signal-caller and his exceptionally high ceiling give McDaniels a chance to open up the playbook right out of the gates in 2025.

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Cowboys to interview Dolphins assistant for DC opening

A week after interviewing for the Patriots’ DC vacancy, the Dolphins’ OLB coach has another high-profile interview.

Miami Dolphins outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow will interview for the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator vacancy, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Crow previously interviewed for the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator position shortly before the team decided to hire Terrell Williams for the role. The Cowboys introduced Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach earlier Monday.

The Dolphins hired Crow in 2024 after he spent the previous six seasons on Mike Vrabel’s staff with the Tennessee Titans. Last week, Vrabel was announced as the new head coach of the Patriots, but opted against reuniting with his former assistant.

Schottenheimer, 51, began his NFL coaching career in 1997, but hasn’t crossed paths with Crow previously.

In his first season with the Dolphins, Crow spent most of the year working with young pass rushers while Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips were rehabbing injuries. First-round pick Chop Robinson made impressive growth as the season went on, transforming into one of the NFL’s most productive pass rushers in the second half of the year.

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Former Saints offensive line coach joins Mike Vrabel on the Patriots

Former Saints offensive line coach Doug Marrone is set to join Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots ahead of the 2025 season:

The New Orleans Saints will have another former coach of theirs heading elsewhere this offseason, this time it was Doug Marrone, who will join Mike Vrabel with the New England Patriots. Marrone was with the Saints from 2022 to 2023 as their offensive line coach before he was dismissed from his position in Feb. 2024. He spent the time since working at Boston College, so he was already in the area.

Marrone will join the new look Patriots staff that has been pretty much gutted and started from scratch under Vrabel in recent weeks, with many assistants and positional coaches being hired. He will work under returning offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was recently brought back to the Patriots after a two season stint as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders before his firing.

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