New England Patriots
“I feel like the guys have really taken what Coach Vrabel has wanted to do with us and have just really applied it to their lives in every single way.”
Mike Vrabel led the Patriots back to the Super Bowl in his first year as head coach. AP Photo/John Locher
SAN FRANCISCO — In his first official press conference as head coach of the Patriots in January 2025, Mike Vrabel was candid about his vision for a Patriots team coming off of back-to-back four-win seasons.
“I want to galvanize our football team,” Vrabel said. “I want to galvanize this building. I want to galvanize our fans. The most important thing is the players. … I want to provide a program that provides their ownership but also their accountability of each other and one that they’ll be proud to be a part of and that they’re going to fight for.”
Mission accomplished.
Just days before his team tries to cap off an improbable turnaround season with a victory in Super Bowl LX, Vrabel was named the NFL Coach of the Year Thursday night at the annual NFL Honors ceremony.
This marks the second time that Vrabel has taken home NFL Coach of the Year honors, as he won it in 2021 with the Tennessee Titans. Vrabel is one of 13 coaches to have won Coach of the Year more than once, joining the likes of Bill Belichick (2003, 2007, 2010) and Bill Parcells (1986, 1994).
Vrabel was not on site in San Francisco Thursday to accept the award, as he continues to help his team prepare for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara.
But, the Patriots posted a video of Vrabel, award in hand, giving an acceptance speech.
“Ultimately my name will go on this award but this award belongs to a building, belongs to a staff, and ultimately belongs to the men in the locker room. … We did this together,” Vrabel said.
While the rest of the Patriots roster — much like Vrabel — took in Thursday’s events from Santa Clara, the Patriots released a video of multiple players giving their head coach his flowers.
With New England left rudderless after a disastrous 2024 season, Robert Kraft and the Patriots’ top brass made the call to fire Jerod Mayo after just one year as head coach.
The franchise pivoted to Vrabel, a former Patriots linebacker who won three Super Bowls in New England, who had emerged as a tone-setting coach in Tennessee.
Vrabel overhauled New England’s roster in short order, cultivating a culture that has permeated through a depth chart that has operated with a collective chip on its shoulder this season.
Vrabel made his ideals clear earlier this season, hanging up a sign in a team meeting room titled “Patriots’ Team Identity” that lays out four principals:
- Effort and finish
- Ball security & ball disruption
- Details, techniques and fundamentals
- Make great decisions.
The buy-in was evident.
With Vrabel leading the charge, the 2025 Patriots smashed all expectations this season, going 17-3 and punching their ticket to Super Bowl LX.
“From day one, I feel like the guys have really taken what Coach Vrabel has wanted to do with us and have just really applied it to their lives in every single way,” Drake Maye said of his head coach.
“I think the biggest thing is just – Coach Vrabel always says he treats us how we treat the team. I think that’s how guys have taken this year, and I think it’s just rallying together and wanting to play for each other. From there on, we just have had fun doing it every single day since, and it’s been a ride. Looking forward to trying to finish it off.”
“We lost to the Steelers, and we lost a couple of those games early. It was easy to count us out and put us in that spot. Nobody believed in us, let alone like us, for any matter,” Stefon Diggs said after the Patriots’ victory in the AFC championship game last month.
“Our coach believed in us. He helped us build this identity that he speaks of. He held everybody to the same standard, something I’m super thankful for. I realize that it starts at the head. When you hold everybody to the same standard, and you hold everybody to the same requirements each and every day, you hold your teammates accountable. … The camaraderie and the team chemistry that he built from the head coaching position is second to none. I hope that he wins Coach of the Year because he’s probably the best coach I ever had.”
Vrabel and the Patriots will try to win a much more valuable trophy on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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