Mike Vrabel reportedly wants the New England Patriots’ head coaching job so badly, he was using other teams to try to push the franchise into making the job available.
Vrabel spoke to the New York Jets about their head coaching vacancy earlier this week, and had been viewed as one of the favorites to land the position. However, Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports said Sunday that Vrabel’s dalliance with the Jets was an attempt on his part to nudge the Patriots to make a coaching change.
Was told that Mike Vrabel’s dalliance w/ #Jets was to put pressure on #Patriots to make a move. With a young, incredibly promising QB (who improved every week despite very little talent around him), more cap space than anyone and stable ownership, of course the NE job ranks high.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) January 5, 2025
Vrabel got his wish, regardless of whether his flirtation with the Jets had anything to do with it, as New England fired Jerod Mayo on Sunday. He spent eight seasons playing for the Patriots, and it sounds like he was eager to force the Patriots’ hand and make them decide if they really wanted to risk one of their most beloved players coaching the rival Jets.
This is not the first time that it has been reported that Vrabel was using the Jets as leverage. That alone is not unusual, but it is a bit more unique to see a coach using one team as leverage to get another franchise to actually make a coaching change.
Many observers immediately named Vrabel as the favorite for the Patriots’ job as soon as it opened up. If the Patriots want him as badly as he seems to want them, it might just be a matter of time.
