The second Robert Kraft decided to move on from Jerod Mayo after just one season as the head coach, Mike Vrabel immediately became the favorite to be his successor. Because many had wanted him to be hired after Bill Belichick was let go a year earlier, it felt like this was Kraft's opportunity to finally bring in the experienced head coach he initially wanted.
So when it was announced he was hired, it was one of the more unshocking decisions in recent memory for the Patriots. To make the hire even better, Vrabel added an impressive coaching staff around him for the 2025 season, including longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
There was some controversy surrounding the decision to hire him back after another failed stint as a head coach, this time with the Raiders. But prioritizing Drake Maye's development made it easy to support McDaniels' return, especially after how poorly the offense had performed in the years since he had left.
This would be the first time McDaniels would serve as the offensive play caller in New England without Belichick on the sideline, too, making his return even more fascinating to watch this upcoming season. He and Maye have already hit it off and have begun working together, which has excited the quarterback well ahead of his second NFL season.
All things point to a likely improved year for the Patriots' offense, and in general, but one NFL analyst seems to think that the new coaching staff might not work as smoothly as we predict, particularly between McDaniels and Vrabel.
A potential power struggle within the Patriots' new coaching staff doesn't seem all that likely
While ranking the current head coaches for the 2025 NFL season, NBC Sports' Patrick Daugherty had some interesting things to say about the possible working dynamic between McDaniels and Vrabel that hasn't been previously discussed.
He seems to predict the possibility of a feud brewing between them, mainly because of Vrabel's history with offensive coordinators and McDaniels' previous work as a head coach, but there doesn't seem to be anything to support this other than an imagined scenario.
"So Vrabel arrives home as a favored son, though it’s unclear whose hits he is supposed to play. Will it be the throwback run and play-action based offenses he featured in Nashville? Or the more elaborate attacks of fellow home-again coach Josh McDaniels?
Vrabel/McDaniels is an immediate potential power struggle for a head coach who suffered through several in Tennessee. Known as an AFC South overachiever until his rosters grew a little too lean, Vrabel is good at making the whole exceed the sum of its parts. He just needs to find the right balance with McDaniels, and make sure he’s not chasing Belichick’s ghost."
Related: Divisional rival already fearing Patriots' new duo well ahead of 2025 season
It seems easy to believe that Vrabel would have had no interest in hiring McDaniels if he felt there might be any sort of issue between them in the future. There were other offensive coordinators to interview, some of whom Patriots fans hoped would be hired, so there was no need for the new head coach to jump so quickly on bringing back the familiar face.
It also doesn't make much sense to suggest a possible power struggle will take place because Vrabel went through a few offensive play callers during his time as the Titans' head coach. There's a fair argument to be made that McDaniels is far better at the job than those Vrabel worked with in Tennessee, so there won't be any question of needing to replace him at some point.
Not to mention, McDaniels likely knows he has no chance at continuing a career as a head coach after how his tenure went with the Raiders, meaning he won't be trying to prove he can be a head coach or hope to impress as a play caller again in hopes of earning another opportunity.
It's far too early to believe this partnership won't work out and that the Patriots could be doomed from the get-go. We haven't seen anything to suggest McDaniels and Vrabel won't work well together, so maybe the power struggle predictions should be paused for the foreseeable future.