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4 Patriots Instantly on Thin Ice With Mike Vrabel as Head Coach

With Mike Vrabel taking over as the Patriots head coach, multiple changes could be on the horizon.

By Jovan Alford

Oct 21, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots former linebacker and current Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel makes a speech at his 2023 Patriots Hall of Fame induction in the Cross Insurance Pavilion at Gillette Stadium.
Oct 21, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots former linebacker and current Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel makes a speech at his 2023 Patriots Hall of Fame induction in the Cross Insurance Pavilion at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images
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After a week of head coaching interviews, the New England Patriots officially announced that Mike Vrabel will be their 16th head coach in franchise history on Sunday.

Vrabel enters New England where they are coming off back-to-back four-win seasons with Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo. The last time we saw Vrabel as a head coach was the 2023 season with the Tennessee Titans, where he spent six campaigns as HC.

With Vrabel making his triumphant return to Foxborough, it also means that several Patriots players and coaches likely won’t be with the team next season. Below, we’ll discuss who could be on thin ice heading into the offseason.

1. Alex Van Pelt

With the rumors swirling about Vrabel bringing Josh McDaniels back to New England as offensive coordinator, Van Pelt’s days in Foxborough are numbered.

When Mayo was fired last week by the Patriots, it was reported that Van Pelt was also out as offensive coordinator. However, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald and Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reported that the Krafts only fired Mayo and that the rest of the coaching staff and front office were intact.

After getting let go by the Cleveland Browns at the end of last season, Van Pelt entered a spot where he could help develop two young quarterbacks in Drake Maye and Joe Milton III. Both young quarterbacks showed promise this season, but the rest of the offense was a mixed bag.

The Patriots’ offense ended the regular season, ranked 30th in scoring (17 points per game), 13th in rushing (115.8 yards per game), and 32nd in passing (176.2 yards per game). 

To be ranked near the bottom in scoring and passing is not conducive to winning in the NFL in 2025. Therefore, the Pats might need someone who can create more explosive plays in the passing game like Ryan Grubb, who was fired after one season as the OC in Seattle.

The Seahawks were ranked 28th in rushing (95.7 yards per game), which won’t cut it. But they were ranked eighth in passing (236.5 yards per game) and 18th in scoring (22.1 points per game).

That being said, there’s a chance Van Pelt could stay in New England as the QBs coach, given how close he and Maye are. However, that will be up to Vrabel’s discretion and what plan he sold the Krafts on to turn this program around.

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