Patriots reportedly unlikely to trade for Mike Vrabel if they move on from Bill Belichick
Vrabel has been speculated to be a top possible replacement for Belichick if the Patriots were to move on this offseason.
While Robert Kraft has reportedly viewed Mike Vrabel as a dream successor to Bill Belichick, the Patriots owner might not want to pay a possible extra premium to make it happen.
The Patriots won’t try to trade for Vrabel from the Titans if they parted ways with Belichick this offseason, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini reported Saturday.
The idea of the Patriots possibly reuniting with Vrabel this offseason first came up shortly after he was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in October. Vrabel curiously referred to the Patriots as “we” during his halftime speech when they faced the Bills in Week 7. Two weeks later, The Boston Globe‘s Ben Volin reported that Kraft viewed Vrabel as a possible “home run” choice to replace Belichick.
Around that time, the Titans were also falling in the standings as they dropped to 3-7 following their Week 11 loss to the Jaguars. The three-game losing streak in early November left some to wonder if Vrabel’s six-tenure in Tennessee could possibly end with the team firing him.
However, the Titans intend to retain Vrabel following the season, ESPN’s Turron Davenport reported on Dec. 5. And that was prior to their upset victory over the Dolphins on Monday, which improved their record to 5-8, further making it unlikely that the Patriots would be able to hire Vrabel without the Titans firing him.
As for what’s happening in New England, Belichick’s hot seat grew hotter this past week. It was first reported by NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran that the Patriots made the decision to part ways with Belichick at the end of the season following their Week 10 loss to the Colts in Germany. Additionally, Kraft had originally hoped for Belichick to remain head coach through the 2025 season before having defensive assistant Jerod Mayo replace him, but the team’s struggles have the owner “rethinking everything,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported on Wednesday.
The “signs have pointed toward” the Patriots parting ways with Belichick at season’s end though there are some within the organization that wonder if a strong end to the season could cause them to reverse course, The Athletic‘s Jeff Howe reported Friday.
If Belichick is out in New England, his name has already surfaced for other possible gigs. The Chargers fired head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco on Friday, leaving some to wonder if they plan to make a run to hire the Patriots’ head man.
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