Jerod Mayo is one and done as New England Patriots head coach, and that leaves one major question: Who on earth is going to step into the building for the Patriots?
It’s never easy being the guy replacing a Hall of Famer, as Mayo did with Bill Belichick, but being the next guy in the chain won’t be easy either in New England. A franchise that went nearly two decades without a losing season, with six Super Bowls along the way, is going to have sky-high expectations, no matter how the last few years went.
The Patriots already have what is supposed to be their franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, as well as the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Mayo was fired for not immediately turning the team around after Belichick’s leaner final years, and his replacement could face a similar mandate.
Here some guys we think could be up for it.
Mike Vrabel, former Titans head coach
This is the best place to start, as Vrabel is almost certainly going to be considered the favorite at first for this opening.
Vrabel spent this past season working as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns after losing his job leading the Tennessee Titans, who he took to a pair of division titles and the AFC championship game over his six seasons in Nashville. But after he was fired following the 2023 campaign, he’s been considered a top-tier candidate for openings across the league.
And, of course, he has plenty of connections with the Patriots. Vrabel spent eight seasons playing for the franchise, and he won three Super Bowls there alongside Tom Brady. He was even inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023, which was something that reportedly helped lead to his firing in Tennessee.
Vrabel has already interviewed elsewhere in the league this cycle — he was reportedly in conversations with the New York Jets — and he’s sure to interview more in the near future, but the Patriots are undoubtedly a great fit for him personally. If there was a spot for Vrabel, who was once one of the hottest coaches in the league, to make his return, it’s in New England.
Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator
For Johnson, it’s not really a question if the Patriots should want him, but if he should want the Patriots.
Johnson has been among the top head coaching candidates for three straight cycles now, and it’s become clear he’s not leaving Detroit for anything short of an ideal situation. The Patriots can try to sell him on their current situation, and it could be something that he started his coaching career at nearby Boston College, but that might not be enough.
Helping the Patriots is that none of the other current coaching vacancies are ideal. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a mess, the New Orleans Saints are facing salary cap armageddon and the Chicago Bears still have widely maligned general manager Ryan Poles. Bears QB Caleb Williams would also have been a big draw for Chicago, had it not been for a disastrous rookie year.
Brian Flores, Vikings defensive coordinator
Like Vrabel, Flores has plenty of connections of his own in New England. He spent more than a decade working under Belichick there before he took over as the head coach with the Miami Dolphins. That job, however, ended after issues with the front office and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. And Flores is still involved in a lawsuit with the league over racial discrimination.
But since that tumultuous departure, Flores has thrived as the defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings. He’s helped transform their defense into one of the best in the league.
If Vrabel or Johnson aren’t the move for Kraft, Flores would be a perfect option here to lead the team long-term in the post Belichick era — especially if he lands a great OC to help direct Maye.
Liam Coen, Buccaneers offensive coordinator
Coen offers both an opportunity for both a young and up-and-coming coach at 39 years old and a local kid coming home.
Coen grew up in Rhode Island, went to college at UMass and spent the first eight years of his coaching career at various New England colleges. Since then, he’s become part of the Sean McVay coaching tree with the Los Angeles Rams and is coming off a successful first season calling plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers ranked fourth in points scored and third in yards gained entering Sunday, after ranking 20th and 23rd in the previous season without Coen. He’s become a buzzy coaching candidate, and the Patriots might be his most favored destination.
Bill O’Brien, Boston College head coach
Add one more former Belichick assistant to the pile.
Tom Brady never threw for more yards with the Patriots than when O’Brien was offensive coordinator in 2011, and he’s had no shortage of interesting jobs since then. He led the rebuild of Penn State, led the Houston Texans to four playoff berths, reached a national championship game as Alabama offensive coordinator, returned to the Patriots for a not-so-successful year as an assistant and just finished off a decent first year with Boston College.
O’Brien has been around, finding plenty of success and critics along the way. On the bright side, he wouldn’t have to move far if he got the job.
Kliff Kingsbury, Commanders offensive coordinator
Kingsbury is flirting with a second shot as a head coach in the league after his run with the Arizona Cardinals didn’t go great. He’s reportedly interested in the Chicago Bears opening, and the New York Jets are apparently open to him, too.
While he finished with a losing record and made it to the postseason just once in his four years with the Cardinals, Kingsbury has been great as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator this season. He’s helped the franchise and former Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels to their first playoff appearance in four seasons while racking up double-digit wins for just the third time this century. If he could recreate that with Maye in New England, he’d be the perfect man for the job.
Kingsbury could (and maybe should) stay with Washington for the near future and see how far he and Daniels can go with a team that looks like it could win a playoff game for the first time in almost 20 years. But, if he wants to be a head coach again, Kingsbury is at least worth a look from Kraft.
Josh McCown, Vikings quarterbacks coach
This feels like a reach for Kraft, but Josh McCown wouldn’t be a terrible choice. McCown, who has helped lead Sam Darnold as the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach this season, has interviewed for head coaching jobs in the league in the past after his nearly two-decade run playing himself. And, perhaps most notably, he worked with Drake Maye when he was in high school.
If Kraft is looking for someone to lead his franchise quarterback for years to come, McCown would definitely work. At a bare minimum, he needs to be looked at for their next offensive coordinator.
Bill Belichick, UNC head coach
Be honest, you thought about it too.
This obviously isn’t happening barring multiple changes of circumstance, though we’re just going to note Belichick’s buyout with UNC becomes only $1 million after June 1.
