Looking back at Mike Vrabel’s Patriots playing career, from defensive dominance to Super Bowl scores
Mike Vrabel is back in Foxborough.
The Patriots announced Sunday that they’ve hired the former linebacker as their next head coach, bringing the franchise Hall of Famer back into the fold to lead the team’s rebuild.
As his coaching career in New England begins, let’s take a look back at his playing days, when Vrabel helped anchor a defense at the heart of the Patriots’ most successful era.
March 12, 2001: Vrabel signs — Vrabel’s playing career started not in Foxborough but in Pittsburgh, where the linebacker was a third-round pick out of Ohio State in 1997. He was largely a role player with the Steelers, with zero starts over four seasons, though one of his few notable moments actually came against his future employers with a late strip-sack of Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe in the playoffs as a rookie.
After a quiet tenure with the Steelers, Vrabel signed with the Patriots on what the Globe reported as a four-year deal with a minimum salary in what would become perhaps the best free agent signing of the Bill Belichick era.
Feb. 3, 2002: The dynasty is born — Vrabel had a career rebirth in New England, starting 12 games and establishing himself as a do-it-all linebacker in a dominant Patriots defense with 63 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions.
Alongside Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi, Vrabel helped form one of the NFL’s finest linebacking corps as New England made an unlikely run to its first championship.
Vrabel helped dispatch his former team in Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game, then played a part in a crucial moment in the Super Bowl. Vrabel came free off the edge on a blitz and got to Rams quarterback Kurt Warner in a flash, forcing Warner into a bad throw that resulted in a game-changing pick-6 from Ty Law.
“I just heard the roar,” Vrabel said after the game. “When you get pressure and then you hear a roar like that, it usually means good things for the defense.”
Vrabel and the New England defense made life hell for the Rams’ vaunted offense, dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf,” and a last-minute drive from Tom Brady and a clutch kick from Adam Vinatieri did the rest. Less than a year after signing a minimum deal with his career on the ropes, Vrabel was a Super Bowl champion.
Feb. 1, 2004: A Super Bowl score — Vrabel had the best year of his career to date in 2003, racking up 9 ½ sacks and a pair of interceptions for the NFL’s best defense.
As the Patriots reached a second Super Bowl in three years, Vrabel showed what he could do on the other end; he’d lined up at tight end on a handful of occasions over the years but he was no decoy on the biggest stage.
Vrabel hauled in the go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVIII, becoming the first defensive player to score an offensive touchdown in the Super Bowl since William “Refrigerator” Perry did so against the Patriots in 1986. He also had two sacks and forced a fumble in one of the finest games of Vrabel’s career
Another last-minute drive from Brady and another clutch kick from Vinatieri later, and Vrabel and New England were two-time champions.
“It was an unbelievable feeling because I knew all week that I had a chance, that the play was in and I was up,” Vrabel said of the touchdown. “It’s a blur right now.”
Feb. 6, 2005: A second score, a third title — The Patriots beat the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, and Vrabel was at the center of it once more.
After another strong season in 2004, Vrabel was again a two-way force in the title game. On top of a sack and six tackles, Vrabel lined up at tight end and showed off his soft hands again, snatching a deflected pass — as he was held — for another Super Bowl touchdown.
“Tom [Brady] gets mad at me in practice and won’t throw it to me,” Vrabel joked. “But during the game, he didn’t have a choice.”
After four years in Pittsburgh without so much as a start, Vrabel’s four years in New England had yielded three Super Bowl rings.
“I could barely envision getting starts four or five years ago,” Vrabel said after the third championship. “It would have been tough to imagine catching touchdowns in the Super Bowl.”
Jan. 9, 2008: First Team All-Pro — Vrabel had the finest season of his career in 2007, becoming a dominant pass rusher with 12 ½ sacks alongside his usual versatility and dependability in coverage and stopping the run.
He was rewarded with one of the league’s highest honors as a first team All-Pro after the Patriots’ historic 16-0 season. It capped off an incredible rise for a former reserve linebacker and special teamer who became part of the core of a dynasty.
Dec. 28, 2008: Final game as a Patriot — Vrabel would only spend one more season in New England, with a 13-0 win in Buffalo — in which he forced a fumble — in December serving as the linebacker’s final game with the Patriots.
Vrabel was traded along with QB Matt Cassell to Kansas City in the offseason, where Vrabel would finish his career with 30 starts over two seasons before retiring at the end of 2010.
Oct. 21, 2023: Patriots Hall of Famer — Vrabel was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023 while he was coaching the Titans.
Vrabel’s eight years in New England yielded 606 tackles, 48 sacks, 11 interceptions, 10 catches for 10 offensive touchdowns, and, of course, three Super Bowl rings.
“Obviously this is an unbelievable honor to be associated with the people in that Hall,” Vrabel said. “You don’t think it’s a big deal until you get called, and obviously, I’m very honored.”
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