The 2026 NFL hiring cycle is officially in full swing, and in the most satisfying development ever for fans of the New England Patriots, their team is off the radar and fully locked in on Sunday night’s home playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That’s about as sweet as a 15th win for the Patriots, who spent the last two Januarys breaking in new head coaches and overhauling the coaching staff.
This year’s coaching carousel could reach epic levels, with John Harbaugh now officially out with the Baltimore Ravens and presumably on the market. It only took 48 hours for the NFL’s two known head coach openings, the Giants and Titans, to climb to seven, and the movement of up-and-coming assistants and coordinators across the league will be seismic over the coming weeks.
Mike Vrabel and company are obviously focused on winning this next game and keeping their dream season afloat for another week. But the Patriots could have a major opening on their own coaching staff in 2026, and one team reporter can’t ignore the signs around Vrabel poaching a star veteran coach from a franchise currently in disarray.
Patriots' writer Evan Lazar links Browns' DC Jim Schwartz to Mike Vrabel's Patriots
He may not get a ton of pub in the national media, as he’s been in Cleveland for the past three seasons, but there aren’t many coaches better than Jim Schwartz on the defensive side of the football.
The Browns have routinely finished as a top-10 defense despite winning just eight total games over the past two seasons combined. In 2025, Cleveland finished fifth in total EPA, led by the likely Defensive Player of the Year (Myles Garrett) and the likely Defensive Rookie of the Year (Carson Schwesinger).
Cleveland fired head coach Kevin Stefanski on Black Monday, and while owner Jimmy Haslam would love to retain Schwartz, that’s not exactly how this game works. The Browns could have a hard time keeping Schwartz in the building without promoting him to head coach, a move both Haslam and GM Andrew Berry aren’t yet ready to commit to.
Schwartz could very well be on the move, and Patriots.com writer Evan Lazar believes that move could be to Massachusetts.
With the Browns moving on from Stefanski, I wouldn’t be surprised if some Cleveland coaches join the #Patriots staff in the future.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) January 5, 2026
Browns DC Jim Schwartz is one to watch. He was a senior advisor for Vrabel in Tennessee.
Schwartz has a strong connection to Vrabel, having spent two years with him in Tennessee as a senior defensive assistant. The two were reunited in 2024 under Stefanski, with Vrabel serving as a “coaching and personnel assistant” in Cleveland while waiting for his next HC opportunity.
The Patriots could be in the market for a defensive coordinator in 2026, with Terrell Williams currently away from the team amid a battle with cancer. Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr has assumed the majority of Williams’ duties on an interim basis this year, but that’s a spot Vrabel could look to address this offseason, whenever that officially arrives for the Patriots.
Schwartz’s credentials speak for themselves. If he were to join Vrabel’s staff, New England would essentially have three head coaches leading the team, along with Josh McDaniels on the offensive side.
Cleveland’s process will likely take some time, as you could argue their front office and salary cap situation is the worst of the now seven head coach openings across the league. Schwartz will likely interview for at least the Browns job over this next week, but the potential to jump ship amid another rebuild and join an ascending contender like New England definitely can’t be ruled out.