Throughout the 2025 season, much has been said about the impact Mike Vrabel has had on the New England Patriots, particularly for leading them to their first winning season since 2021 and ending the year in the Super Bowl.
Beyond helping the team reach the big game and exceed expectations after back-to-back seasons with a 4-13 record, it's clear that his most significant impact has been behind the scenes. That has been repeated by players all season long, and even more so in the days leading up to their matchup with the Seahawks in Santa Clara.
The locker room has been through a lot over the last three years, specifically, with the departure of Bill Belichick, a lone season with Jerod Mayo, and multiple quarterbacks. They underwent their biggest changes this past offseason, welcoming a new coaching staff while simultaneously moving on from the longest-tenured Patriots, so it was clear a new era was on the way.
But Vrabel created a culture the team bought into, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who had a rough start to the 2025 season, couldn't have spoken higher of what his new head coach brought to the team.
Patriots players can't stop gushing about just how impactful Mike Vrabel has been this year
While speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning, Stevenson said the biggest difference Vrabel has brought this season is accountability.
On top of that, the running back mentioned what kind of man Vrabel is and how that has been a game-changer for the attitude of the team.
Rhamondre Stevenson tells me what’s been the biggest difference Mike Vrabel and his staff made to help get the #NEPats to the #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/NPcxBO8fkT
— Sara Marshall (@smarshxo) February 4, 2026
It's exactly what the Patriots needed after a rough 2024 season for multiple reasons, further proving how brilliant a decision it was for Robert Kraft to move on from someone who looked like a promising head coach after just one year.
That might have been a controversial move in real time, maybe less in hindsight, but Vrabel's experience and attitude were everything the Patriots had long needed, even before Belichick was let go.
This has clearly fueled the team throughout the season and could give them a slight edge going into the Super Bowl. While Mike Macdonald is a tremendous coach, he's not Vrabel, and everything that comes with him as both a coach and a former player could be precisely the push the Patriots need on Sunday.