When Robert Kraft made the shocking decision to move on from Bill Belichick after two decades, there was a clear frontrunner to be the Patriots' next head coach. The problem was that he was still serving that role for another team for at least a few days longer, and Kraft was hellbent on getting Belichick's successor in as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, that meant promoting Jerod Mayo, since it had been written in his contract during his extension the summer before, rather than holding off until they felt he was legitimately ready and going with who they really wanted: Mike Vrabel.
Because Mayo wasn't put into a position to succeed, nor was he ready to be a head coach because he hadn't even been a coordinator yet, the 2024 season was an absolute disaster. By the end of it, Kraft fired Mayo and almost immediately hired Vrabel, a decision that has already proven to be the right move that should have been made a year earlier.
After leading the Patriots to their 13th win this season, allowing them to win the AFC East and go undefeated on the road, it was, once again, a conversation amongst fans that Kraft surely wants to forget about.
Robert Kraft is probably wishing he hired Mike Vrabel a lot sooner than the 2025 offseason
Their dominant win over the Jets on Sunday gave the Patriots their 13th win of the 2025 season and made Vrabel one of just two other coaches in NFL history to lead a team to 13 wins in their first year as their head coach.
Making it even better is another feat he accomplished with the win, too.
.@Patriots HC Mike Vrabel has led the team to 13 wins in his first year as head coach.
— Patriots Communications (@PatriotsComms) December 28, 2025
In @NFL history, only two other coaches have led their teams to at least 13 wins in their first season: Jim Caldwell (Colts, 2009, 14-2) and George Seifert (49ers, 1989, 14-2).#NEPats pic.twitter.com/BxG9fL0pBC
On top of that, Vrabel also became just the second coach in NFL history to go undefeated on the road in their first eight away games as the team's head coach, only behind 49ers' George Seifert, who went 16-0 during the 1989-1990 seasons.
With just one game left to be played in the regular season, the Patriots are now AFC East champs and still vying for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture, with the results of Week 18 being the determining factor.
At this point, though, they're the No. 2 seed and will host their playoff games until they possibly have to face the Broncos. It's an impressive accomplishment, considering not many people, if any, believed they would be a winning team this year, let alone a playoff-bound group.
It's certainly has Kraft kicking himself for going with Mayo a bit too soon and hiring Vrabel a bit too late. But at least now he has the right guy to lead the team.