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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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4. Eliot Wolf

With the Patriots moving on from Mayo and hiring Vrabel as the next head coach, some fans wondered what would happen with Eliot Wolf.

Wolf was named the team’s executive vice president of player personnel this past offseason after spending the previous two years as the director of scouting. However, Wolf did not do a good job in Year 1 as the de facto GM as the Patriots had one of the worst rosters in the NFL.

Usually, when a head coach is fired, the organization also cleans house by removing the GM too, see the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Pats aren’t removing Wolf, but they are adding someone new to the front office structure, who was a preferred choice of Vrabel. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported on Sunday that New England is expected to hire Ryan Cowden, who is the New York Giants personnel advisor.

Robinson adds Wolf will retain personnel power, but the dynamics will be interesting. Cowden was the Titans’ director of player personnel and interim general manager during Vrabel’s tenure in Tennessee.

It will be interesting to see what Cowden’s responsibilities are as Wolf didn’t shine in the roster management department this season. New England had one of the worst rosters in the NFL and the 2024 draft class wasn’t spectacular.

Their best player from the class was Maye, which is important. But it’s hard to pinpoint who was the next best guy in New England’s draft class. 

Therefore, New England must do a much better job drafting and spending money in free agency to upgrade their roster. They have cap space to work with, it’s up to Wolf to find the best pieces to help speed up this rebuild.

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