The New England Patriots officially hired Mike Vrabel as their next head coach on Sunday, bringing back one of the team's Hall of Famers and Super Bowl champions to lead the franchise. As Vrabel takes over for the storied franchise that has dominated 21st-century football, his former Patriots coach, Bill Belichick, has since reacted to the hiring.
Though Belichick did not leave the Patriots on amazing terms, he was nothing but complimentary of Vrabel and the hiring during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
"I think Mike has done a great job in coaching," Belichick told McAfee. "... I've stayed in pretty close contact with Mike and I have a ton of respect for Mike. I think he does a great job. He prepares his teams well, they're very good in situational football, they're tough, competitive, smart, just like he was as a player. I love Mike, I love everything that he stands for as a football coach ... I'm sure he'll do a great job."
"I've stayed in pretty close contact with Mike Vrabel and I have a ton of respect for him..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 13, 2025
He's a great football coach and I'm sure he'll do a great job in New England" ~ Coach Belichick#PMSLive #NEPats pic.twitter.com/lRgr89trm2
A pretty strong endorsement from a coach many consider to be the greatest of all time. Like Belichick, Vrabel was known for coaching sound football and maximizing the talent on the field. When he was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, he brought a 9-7 team to the AFC Championship Game and helped the Titans earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC another year.
Due to his prior success with the Titans, Vrabel was considered one of the top candidates in this year's coaching cycle, and the Patriots moved fast to hire him. If Vrabel sees the success he was creating in Tennessee with the Patriots, the Patriots could emerge as contenders once again, like they were for two decades under Belichick.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bill Belichick Reacts to Patriots Hiring Mike Vrabel.
