The New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel on January 12, 2025. Now, after a mere seven games into his first season, Vrabel is crashing the NFL party and is rated by CBS Sports as the best of the seven new 2025 NFL coaches thus far.
It was lauded as a great hire at the time, although maybe a year late. Regardless, Vrabel is already proving his mettle. He was the 2021 NFL Coach of the Year. Now, after just seven games, he's already in contention for being the NFL Coach of the Year for a second time in 2025. If the Patriots' progress continues on its upward trend, don't be shocked if Vrabel takes that away, as well.
There was no doubt that hiring Vrabel was one of owner Bob Kraft's best decisions in half a decade. He's a game-tested NFL coach and, as such, is a top evaluator of NFL talent. Both attributes were indispensable to the floundering Patriots. Vrabel has transformed the whole operation, and it's manifesting itself in spades on the field.
Mike Vrabel is cited as the best of the new NFL coaches in his first year with the Patriots
CBS Sports makes no bones about who's been the best new coach of the seven hired before the 2025 season after seven games.
"When Vrabel signed on to replace Jerod Mayo as the latest ex-Patriots linebacker-turned-coach, it was fair to wonder if New England was going too far down the well of Bill Belichick mentees. Big-game hurdles still remain. But there's no denying the Patriots are playing with a more united and authoritative posture. It helps Vrabel's getting pristine play from young quarterback Drake Maye, but the new coach was also responsible for selecting many of Maye's new helpers, including veteran wideout Stefon Diggs and rookie left tackle Will Campbell. The defense is still rounding into form, but this outfit looks like a real challenger in the AFC East."
One factor loomed huge for Mike Vrabel before he signed on the dotted line with Kraft. As an experienced Head Coach, he knew if you have the quarterback, you have a chance. Vrabel saw what many others didn't, that Drake Maye had the wherewithal to be a franchise quarterback.
His top rookie season was superb, though, because of a 4-13 record, it was largely overlooked. He started 12 games in 2025, despite his development being constrained. He had no first-team snaps in preseason or until about the first four games due to gross mismanagement by the Patriots' hierarchy. That notwithstanding, he still landed a late Pro Bowl berth, and he was ready to take off in 2025 with a top coach and personnel evaluator on hand.
The new Head Coach knew the challenge was to put the accompanying pieces in place in the all-important 2025 off-season to give Maye what he needed to flourish. A common opinion felt that a team can't be rebuilt in one offseason. Vrabel brushed aside that loser's attitude and set about to build a winner now.
A brilliant 2025 offseason set the Patriots up for success
Mike Vrabel knew that an offense begins with the quarterback, and he had his. His next top priority was his offensive line. He had the NFL's worst. He started that rebuild by signing three veteran free agent stopgap solutions. Two remain as starters: right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury. They were both upgrades, and he already had his right guard, Mike Onwenu.
Personnel expert Vrabel then turned to the draft to rebuild the left side of the O-line. With his first draft pick, the fourth overall, he secured his left tackle, the second most important position on the team. He landed the best in the draft, LSU's Will Campbell. In addition, in the third round, he drafted center/guard hybrid Jared Wilson. He and Campbell have started all seven games as rookies.
The rest of the rebuild on offense included bolstering the wide receiving corps with Stefon Diggs and others. Vrabel also went to work and upgraded each level of his defense. While the roster reconstruction is still a work in progress, the results are already eye-opening.
At 5-2, the Patriots share the top of the AFC East with the mighty Buffalo Bills, who they've already beaten. The sky is the limit in 2025, and it all began with hiring Super Coach Mike Vrabel, the NFL's best.