On Sunday morning, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Mike Vrabel has officially inked a multi-year deal to become the next head coach of the New England Patriots. This is a big-time hire for New England, as Vrabel was considered arguably the top available candidate. But prior to becoming a coach, did Vrabel play in the NFL? Let’s revisit his playing days.
Examining Mike Vrabel’s 14-Year NFL Career
Vrabel played his college ball at Ohio State (1993–96). He was an All-American in two of his four seasons in Columbus. In his last two seasons, Vrabel was the first two-time winner of the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year award.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Vrabel in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft. In Pittsburgh, Vrabel played 51 games, but he did not start a game in four seasons. After the 2000 season, he signed with the New England Patriots, which is when Vrabel’s career took off.
Across his eight seasons with the Patriots, Vrabel won three Super Bowls and totaled 606 tackles (including 412 solo), 55 tackles for a loss, 48 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 11 interceptions, five fumble recoveries, and one touchdown across 125 games.
In 17 playoff games with the Patriots, he totaled eight sacks, 84 tackles (including 59 solo), four tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Vrabel also had 12 career receptions, and all of them were touchdowns, including in Super Bowl XXXVIII. He finished his career with 17 receiving yards and 12 receiving TDs.
Vrabel started 110 games and was a key defensive piece for New England. Vrabel made the Pro Bowl in 2007 when the Patriots went undefeated in the regular season.
After being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of Vrabel: “Mike Vrabel epitomizes everything a coach could seek in a professional football player: toughness, intelligence, playmaking, leadership, versatility, and consistency at the highest level. Of all the players I have coached in my career, there is nobody I enjoyed working with more than Mike.”
Vrabel played his final two seasons in Kansas City. He had two sacks in 30 games.
When Vrabel’s playing days came to an end, he had played in 206 games, totaling 762 tackles (including 529 solo), 57 sacks, 63 tackles for a loss, 11 interceptions, 19 forced fumbles, and nine fumble recoveries.
Vrabel’s Coaching Career
Vrabel started his coaching career at his alma mater, Ohio State. In 2012, he was named Big Ten Recruiter of the Year by ESPN. He then moved to the NFL in 2013 as the Houston Texans linebacker coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017.
Vrabel got his first head-coaching gig with the Tennessee Titans and he posted a 54-45 record in the regular season and a 2-3 record in the postseason.
He led the Titans to the NFL playoffs three times, and he is widely regarded as one of the better coaches in the league.
Now, he will try to turn around the Patriots after a lackluster four-win season under Jerod Mayo, who was fired after his first season as a head coach.