Mike Vrabel was believed to be a candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders’ vacant head coaching job.
However, he was never interviewed by the organization because he reportedly told his former teammate—and Raiders minority owner—Tom Brady that he was going to New England, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Vrabel was officially announced as the Patriots head coach on Sunday. His introductory press conference as the 16th coach of the Patriots organization was held on Monday afternoon.
“The most rumored landing spot for Mike Vrabel for months was with the Las Vegas Raiders considering they had his old friend and teammate, Tom Brady, now there as the minority owner and in fact running their current head coaching search,” said Pelissero, when appearing on “The Insiders” on NFL Network. “My understanding is the Raiders never requested an interview or tried to bring Mike Vrabel in because Vrabel essentially told Tom Brady, ‘I’m gonna end up going back to New England.'”
The Raiders are one of five teams searching for a new head coach. With Vrabel off the market, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is viewed as the top available candidate.
It will be interesting to see what Vrabel brings to the Patriots’ organization in terms of style and personnel management. It’s a new era for a Patriots organization that is looking to get back to its winning ways.
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