The Patriots failed in their first two rebuilds after Tom Brady. Is Mike Vrabel the man to finally make it work?

Boston Globe

22-07-2025

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The Vrabel era, which begins in earnest on Wednesday with the opening of training camp, represents Kraft's third attempt in five years to rebuild the Patriots post-Tom Brady.
The first rebuild from 2021-23 began with promise, with rookie quarterback Mac Jones leading the Patriots to a 10-7 record and a spot in the playoffs. But the team crumbled over three years. The Patriots didn't win a playoff game or develop any household names. Accomplished players such as Stephon Gilmore and Jakobi Meyers were jettisoned. Jones proved not to be a franchise quarterback, and Bill Belichick lost his magic touch with game-day decisions and staff hires. It ended with a 4-13 record that cost Belichick his job and was the worst in Kraft's three decades of ownership.
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But the Patriots repeated it last year under Jerod Mayo. The Krafts had told Mayo and his staff that they were committed to a three-year plan
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The Patriots went 4-13 in Jerod Mayo's lone season as head coach.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Kraft sensed it under Mayo and quickly changed course. Now comes Rebuild 3.0,
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'I want to galvanize our football team. I want to galvanize this building. I want to galvanize our fans,' Vrabel said when hired. 'There's going to be a brand of football that everybody associated with our team or our fans is going to be proud of.'
Though Kraft's first two rebuilds went sideways, the third begins with optimism.
This time, the Patriots appear to have a real quarterback in Drake Maye, the second-year starter. Maye has all the tools Jones didn't — size, a strong arm, athleticism, and composure — and his play as a rookie was the only positive aspect of the Mayo era. Maye still has a long way to prove himself, but the future looks promising.
Mac Jones led the Patriots to a 10-7 record as a rookie but wasn't the long-term answer at quarterback.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The Patriots also have a talented, experienced coaching staff. Josh McDaniels is back as offensive coordinator, one of the most important moves of the offseason. It's not a coincidence that the Patriots went 10-7 in Jones's rookie year with McDaniels, then fell apart after he left for Las Vegas. McDaniels, who has worked with everyone from Brady to Matt Cassel to Cam Newton to Derek Carr, should be a terrific tutor for Maye.
This year, the staff is loaded with experience. Offensive line coach Doug Marrone, passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, and defensive assistant Ben McAdoo have been NFL head coaches. Wide receivers coach Todd Downing has been an offensive coordinator.
Gone are the days of Belichick putting Matt Patricia at offensive coordinator and filling the staff with his buddies. And last year's staff, with Mayo and both coordinators learning on the jobs for the first time, simply didn't cut it in today's NFL.
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The roster also looks to be in its best place since the 2021 season, the last time the team made the playoffs. In 2021, they spent the most money in free agency to land players such as Hunter Henry, Matthew Judon, and Kendrick Bourne, and improved from 7-9 to 10-7.
This year's Patriots took a similar tack, spending an NFL-high $188 million guaranteed to add star receiver Stefon Diggs, right tackle Morgan Moses, defensive linemen Milton Williams and Harold Landry, linebacker Robert Spillane, and cornerback Carlton Davis. Not all of the moves will work out as planned, but the roster is definitely better.
The last reason the Patriots have optimism for 2025 and beyond is the man at the top, Vrabel. Belichick was brilliant but tough to deal with, and he didn't connect with players. Mayo had the cachet of being a former player, but with almost no coaching experience. Vrabel, though, is the combination of both.
Vrabel is experienced, authoring a 54-45 record with three playoff appearances in six seasons with the Titans. Vrabel has taken a team to the AFC Championship game, been named NFL Coach of the Year, and won a playoff game in Foxborough against Brady. Vrabel doesn't need any time to get up to speed on being a head coach.
Vrabel is also sharp on game days. He exploited a rules loophole to milk the clock in the playoff win over the Patriots. Vrabel also knows how to use analytics to his advantage, such as when the Titans pulled off an improbable 28-27 win over the Dolphins thanks to an unconventional decision to go for 2.
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And Vrabel also is a former player with three Super Bowl rings and a spot in the team's Hall of Fame. He's old — turning 50 on Aug. 14 — but not too old that he still can't jump into practice and grapple with the offensive linemen.
There are still plenty of reasons for concern in Foxborough —
But Kraft believes Vrabel is the man to make sure that the Patriots' third attempt at a rebuild is finally successful.
'He had a clear and focused strategy of how to get us back to the championship way,' Kraft said, 'that is not only so important to all of us, but also something that I think our fan base really deserves and expects.'
Ben Volin can be reached at