Mike Vrabel is sure to have his pick of open coaching jobs, but the Patriots Hall of Famer reportedly wants to land in New England.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran previously reported Vrabel would be interested in the Patriots job, if it became available. NFL writer Tony Pauline followed it up Tuesday with the strongest-worded report yet.
“Vrabel wants the New England Patriots job, people close to him to me,” Pauline wrote, “but Robert Kraft seems intent on bringing back Jerod Mayo — at least at present time.”
Pauline noted how some around the league expect Vrabel to use the New York Jets as leverage “to get the job he wants at the salary he wants,” which is with the Patriots.
The Patriots don’t currently have a coaching vacancy, of course. Jerod Mayo will conclude his first season at the helm at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. The underwhelming on-field campaign and much-criticized off-field circus in Foxboro, Mass., however, has many questioning whether Patriots ownership could pull the plug on the Mayo experiment.
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Recent reports from top NFL insiders all have painted the picture it’s unlikely Mayo will be fired after one season. But if Kraft and company decide to do so, hiring Vrabel as the franchise’s next head coach would make all the sense in the world.
