"After two last-place seasons in 2023 and 2024, both of which cost the team's Head Coaches their jobs, change was afoot for the New England Patriots in the 2025 off-season. Mike Vrabel was hired by owner Robert Kraft, and in 11 months, he's totally transformed a doormat into an AFC East contender. He's also done what even Hall of Fame Coach Bill Belichick didn't do in Foxborough: have a winning first season."
"Vrabel turned over a last-place roster by about 50 percent and has transformed the Patriots and made history in the process. A former NFL Coach of the Year for 2021 (and a candidate for this season), Vrabel has demonstrated both his coaching and personnel acumen as he massively revamped the roster and transformed the current version into a winner. Vrabel's hiring was no shot in the dark by Kraft."
After two last-place seasons in 2023 and 2024 that cost Head Coaches their jobs, owner Robert Kraft hired Mike Vrabel in the 2025 offseason. In eleven months Vrabel overhauled roughly half the roster and converted a 4-13 team into a 9-2 squad atop the AFC East. Vrabel achieved a winning first season for the Patriots, a feat not reached by Bill Belichick in his first year. The former 2021 NFL Coach of the Year showcased coaching and personnel acumen to remake the franchise, drawing both praise and criticism about strength of schedule as the team positions for the playoffs.
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