Patriots Reportedly Making Big Hire to Please Mike Vrabel After Agreement
By Joe Summers
The Patriots officially have their new head coach, reuniting with three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel in an effort to rebuild New England's winning culture.
Vrabel has already begun working on his own staff, though he's already exercising influence on the front office according to a new report. Charles Robinson of Yahoo revealed that the Patriots are expected to hire Giants personnel advisor Ryan Cowden to the front office.
Robinson notes that the dynamics will be interesting, as Cowden is Vrabel's choice, though Eliot Wolf is expected to retain control over decision-making.
Patriots Reportedly Hire Ryan Cowden to Front Office Role
I’m hearing #Giants personnel advisor Ryan Cowden is expected to be added to the #Patriots personnel mix, but not with a GM title. I believe Eliot Wolf will retain personnel power. However Cowden’s addition to the front office is Vrabel’s preference. Dynamics will be interesting.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) January 12, 2025
Cowden has been in the NFL since 2000, having spent time with the Panthers, Titans, and Giants prior to now joining the Patriots. He began as a scouting assistant in Carolina before working his way up the ladder, holding a variety of scouting roles before becoming Tennessee's director of player personnel in 2016.
He was the Titans' interim general manager for a brief period and has vast experience handling key decisions particularly with Vrabel, whose coaching stint in Tennessee overlapped with Cowden. The duo were consistently successful, even earning the No. 1 seed in the conference and an AFC Championship Game appearance.
Wolf is relatively green in his role, though it's hard to argue that he's done a great job building New England's roster. The Patriots are widely considered to have the league's worst 53-man group, so significant changes are necessary across the board to ensure 2024's failures become an exception and not the rule.
Drake Maye looks like a franchise quarterback, though his skill-position players and offensive line leave much to be desired. Even worse, the defense that was New England's calling card for years fell off a cliff, ranking 19th in opponent yards per play (5.5) just one year after being third (4.7) with largely the same personnel.
It makes sense that Vrabel wants a voice he's comfortable with in the front office, yet this could be a situation to monitor moving forward should Cowden and Wolf clash on key decisions.
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