Who will replace Bill Belichick as Patriots head coach? Here are 7 possible candidates.
Belichick is reportedly out. Here are a few names to keep in mind as the Patriots go through a coaching search.
The Bill Belichick era in New England is over.
After 24 seasons and six Super Bowl wins, the team and the legendary coach are expected to part ways according to multiple reports.
For the first time in nearly a quarter-century, the Patriots have a coaching search on their hands.
Robert Kraft has hired only two coaches since buying the team in 1994: Belichick and Pete Carroll. Bill Parcells was already in place when Kraft purchased the team.
So, now that New England is back in the coaching market, the natural question that follows is who will become Belichick’s successor?
Here are seven names that have a shot at becoming the Patriots’ next head coach.
Jerod Mayo
The list begins with Mayo, whom Kraft called a strong candidate to be Belichick’s “heir apparent” last spring.
The Patriots have the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Guess who they picked the last time they had a pick in the top 10. It was Mayo, at No. 10 overall, in 2008.
Mayo has familiarity with the Krafts, having played his entire career in New England. He made two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl here as a player. He is already on the coaching staff, having served as linebackers coach since 2019.
While he does not have NFL head coaching experience yet, Mayo has the strongest case of any of the Patriots’ in-house options. He reportedly turned down several head coaching interviews last year before he decided to stay with the Patriots.
For context purposes, it’s important to mention that when Kraft made the “heir apparent” comment, he did say there were other strong candidates to be considered. That brings us to …
Mike Vrabel
Experience is likely a plus for Vrabel, who spent half a decade as head coach of the Tennessee Titans and won the NFL’s Coach of the Year award in 2021.
He also has experience as an assistant coach both in the college ranks and with the NFL’s Houston Texans.
But, it wasn’t all good experience. The Titans went 6-11 this season and finished last in the AFC South. The Titans fired Vrabel earlier this week.
Vrabel’s firing means that the Patriots wouldn’t have to give up draft capital to acquire him. And, despite recent struggles, Vrabel is considered to be a “home-run” candidate for the job according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe.
That’s because Vrabel has a winning record as a head coach (54-45), had a decorated career as a player for the Patriots that led him to be inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame, and has a ton of familiarity with the Krafts.
In fact his Patriots Hall of Fame induction, during which he told Patriots fans to enjoy what they have because there aren’t organizations like this everywhere, reportedly factored into his firing from Tennessee.
Vrabel was a member of three Super Bowl championship teams here, made a Pro Bowl as a linebacker, and caught 11 touchdown passes on offense.
Jim Harbaugh
Harbaugh’s name has been in the headlines recently because he just led Michigan to its first college football national title since 1997.
Patriots linebacker Josh Uche, who is a Michigan alum, wasn’t even born the last time the Wolverines won it all before Monday’s triumph.
Harbaugh has NFL coaching experience and once coached in the Super Bowl against his brother, Ravens coach John Harbaugh. Harbaugh also played quarterback in the NFL for 14 seasons.
Harbaugh is 49-22-1 as an NFL head coach. He’s won nearly three-quarters of his games as a college head coach.
It’s been a decade since Harbaugh last coached in the NFL in 2014, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable that he could make the jump back into pro football.
Josh McDaniels
If the Patriots are looking for an offensive-minded coach to work with a young quarterback they might acquire with the No. 3 pick, would it make sense to bring in the guy who was Tom Brady’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for more than a decade?
McDaniels left New England twice for head coaching jobs. He bolted for Denver in 2009 and left for Las Vegas in 2022. Neither stint went well. He was fired both times and has an overall losing record as a head coach (20-33).
That said, he does have extensive experience as a coordinator, deep ties to New England, and coached some of the best offenses in franchise history.
Ben Johnson
Johnson is the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, who are top-three in the league for both points per game and yards per game.
The 37-year-old began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Boston College in 2009. He also has spent time in the AFC East with the Dolphins in a number of assistant roles on the offensive staff.
A younger, offensive-minded option should the Krafts want to take things in a much different direction.
Brian Flores
Though he sued the NFL for discrimination, Flores remains employed in the league. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.
He was a head coach within the division, having coached the Dolphins from 2019-2021. His record was 24-25.
The Boston College alum has a decade of experience with the Patriots as a special teams and defensive assistant.
Eric Bieniemy
Bieniemy left the Chiefs, with whom he won a pair of Super Bowls as an offensive coordinator, for the Commanders last year in a lateral move.
He’s been an NFL offensive coordinator for half a decade, guiding the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs to the top of the AFC. But, no team has taken a shot on Bieniemy as a head coach yet.
The Commanders currently have a head coach opening after firing Ron Rivera. But, Bieniemy could be a name to keep in mind among outside candidates who could provide a strong offensive knowledge base.
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