The Patriots appeared to have a clear biggest threat in their race to sign Mike Vrabel.

Vrabel, who became New England’s new head coach Sunday, was viewed as a potential candidate to replace Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas. The speculation, of course, was driven by Vrabel’s history with former Patriots teammate and current Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.

However, Vrabel didn’t even speak with the Silver and Black before returning to Foxboro, Mass. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero explained why shortly after Vrabel was announced as Jerod Mayo’s replacement.

“The most rumored landing spot for Mike Vrabel for months was with the Las Vegas Raiders considering they have his old friend and teammate, Tom Brady, there as the minority owner and running their coaching search,” Pelissero said. “My understanding is the Raiders never requested an interview or tried to bring Mike Vrabel in because Vrabel essentially told Tom Brady, ‘I’m gonna end up going back to New England.’ Other teams were aware that was the likely landing spot for Mike Vrabel for quite some time.”

Where could Brady and the Raiders shift their focus with Vrabel now off the board? Pelissero mentioned a pair of Detroit Lions coordinators — Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn — as potential targets for Las Vegas.