After two last-place seasons in 2023 and 2024, both of which cost the team's Head Coaches their jobs, change was afoot for the New England Patriots in the 2025 off-season. Mike Vrabel was hired by owner Robert Kraft, and in 11 months, he's totally transformed a doormat into an AFC East contender. He's also done what even Hall of Fame Coach Bill Belichick didn't do in Foxborough: have a winning first season.
Vrabel turned over a last-place roster by about 50 percent and has transformed the Patriots and made history in the process. A former NFL Coach of the Year for 2021 (and a candidate for this season), Vrabel has demonstrated both his coaching and personnel acumen as he massively revamped the roster and transformed the current version into a winner.
Vrabel's hiring was no shot in the dark by Kraft. This was an established, successful NFL Coach whom he hired, who was foolishly jettisoned by Tennessee after one poor season in 2023. The Titans' loss was Patriot Nation's gain as Vrabel has done remarkable things in his first 11 months at the helm.
Mike Vrabel transformed a down-in-the-dumps former dynasty
The new Head Coach and de facto general manager totally transformed a bottom-dwelling franchise from an NFL laughingstock to a winner in one offseason. The results have been nothing short of startling as the team that was 4-13 in 2024 is now 9-2 and sitting atop the AFC East Division.
Establishing the program. pic.twitter.com/OJPQRm2smC
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 19, 2025
Like only Mike Holovak, Ron Erhardt, Ron Meyer, Raymond Berry, and Pete Carroll before him, Vrabel racked up a winning record in his first season for the Patriots. Not even Belichick achieved that quick a turnaround, and after only 11 games, much more could be on the way.
The 2025 Patriots are poised to roll in the NFL playoffs
While detractors incessantly cite strength of schedule as the reason for the Patriots' renaissance, keen observers know better. Vrabel's offseason was a textbook example of how to rebuild a team in disarray in one offseason. He had several key objectives and achieved them all.
First, he knew he had to almost totally rebuild a worst-in-the-NFL offensive line. He brought in three veteran free agents, two of whom remain and start: Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury. Though stopgap solutions, they are clear upgrades. Then he did even better in the draft when he secured his long-term left tackle, likely first-team All-Rookie, Will Campbell, and his starting left guard, Jared Wilson.
He also remodeled his receiving corps, bringing in a No. 1 receiver in Stefon Diggs, an uber-clutch big receiver, Mack Hollins, and two rookies who, if given the opportunity, will both excel in lightning-quick Kyle Williams and the sure-handed Efton Chism III.
He also drafted an explosive touchdown maker, running back TreVeyon Henderson, in the second round. He's scored five touchdowns in the past two games, and there's much more on the way. All this, combined with budding superstar quarterback Drake Maye, made the offensive transformation a massive success. With a better supporting cast, Maye has become an MVP candidate. Not much more has to be said than that.
On defense, Vrabel added playmakers at each level. Milton Williams was signed as a big-ticket free agent defensive tackle and hasn't disappointed. Edge rushers Harold Landry III and K'Lavon Chaisson have both been better than their 2024 counterparts, and inside linebacker Robert Spillane, after a slow start, has assumed his role as a tackling machine.
Adding the frosting to the cake, Vrabel signed a top free agent cornerback, Carlton Davis III, and drafted a sleeper safety who's started, the underrated Craig Woodson. Mike Vrabel did the unusual but not impossible in the 2025 offseason. With deft free agent signings and a great draft, he rebuilt a bottom-of-the-NFL roster and has now already coached them into a winner.
The Patriots are back, and there's no limit to what this new version, "Built by Vrabel," might accomplish.