The Patriots are entering the 2026 season in Year 2 under Mike Vrabel and his regime, and both impressed in a year that ended with a Super Bowl appearance. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was named Offensive Assistant of the Year, while Mike Vrabel won Coach of the Year for the second time.
Another coordinator might have been in the conversation with McDaniels if he had held the official title during the 2025 season.
Former linebackers coach Zak Kuhr, who took over for an ill Terrell Williams last year, stepped up to the plate in his absence and helped turn the defense into one of the best units in the league, which was all the more impressive given his inexperience in the role.
He did such a great job that he was promoted to the position officially when Williams was moved elsewhere on the staff earlier this offseason, and because of that, his performance is catching the attention of teams around the league to the point of Bradley Locker of PFF listing Kuhr as a potential head coaching candidate next year.
While that's certainly good news for Zuhr, it's not so good for the Patriots, who could lose another coach early in their tenure.
Mike Vrabel might have to look for a new coordinator much sooner than expected
Obviously, it's a good thing when a head coach assembles a talented staff that helps lead the team to success, and it's clear that Vrabel accomplished that at the start of his Patriots tenure.
The problem is that the better those coaches and coordinators are, the more they are on the radar to become a head coach, and that's what is currently happening with Kuhr, who Locker believes could be a top candidate in 2027.
That inevitably puts pressure on Vrabel to find a new coordinator after just two seasons in Foxboro, putting them in an all-too-familiar situation that they would rather not be in any time soon.
"Kuhr’s defense was especially suffocating in the postseason, permitting only three touchdowns on 49 drives courtesy of a staggering 50.3% pressure rate and a 43.5% blitz rate. If New England can sustain that kind of dominant defense in 2026 with some new faces — and improve its defensive line play — then the 38-year-old Kuhr might be poised for a leap."
Hoping that their defense remains on the rise to the top of the NFL might be a double-edged sword at this point, because while it would help keep the team competitive and in contention for another Super Bowl, it also draws more attention to just how good Kuhr is and could be.
If he has aspirations to be a head coach, then it's fair to believe that Kuhr will take up offers for an interview with whichever teams approach him, and he might jump at the chance to further his career.
That puts the Patriots in a rough spot to replace him, and it's far from easy to find a coordinator in general, but especially one who can maintain the level of production from the defense that Kuhr has and might this year.
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