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Harold Landry credits Mike Vrabel as reason he joined the Patriots
"Everybody looks at him as this head coach, but he really just one of the boys."
Harold Landry likely had several options available to him as he entered free agency this spring.
Even though the 2024 campaign saw the 28-year-old linebacker’s pass-rushing production dip, his established track record of getting after opposing quarterbacks (50.5 sacks over six seasons) made him an intriguing free-agent target for multiple teams looking to upgrade their defense.
Ultimately, Landry chose to sign a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Patriots last month — returning to the same area where he played collegiate ball at Boston College.
But even with his clear ties to New England, Landry stressed on Tuesday that the main reason why he decided to join the Patriots was the opportunity to reunite with his former coach with the Titans in Mike Vrabel.
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“[Vrabel’s] meant a lot. He’s played a big role in my development as a player, and also in person. And I was excited to come back because he knows my skillset,” Landry said at Gillette Stadium. “He knows how I operate, and I think. Throughout my career, he and his staff have done a great job of putting me in positions to go out and be productive and help the team, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.
“That was one of the main reasons I came — because I knew Vrabes and his staff knew me, the familiarity with the scheme and all of it. It just fits with what I do with my skillset.”
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Vrabel was coaching Tennessee in 2018 when the Titans drafted Landry in the second round out of Boston College. Landry quickly blossomed into a premier edge rusher in the NFL ranks, earning a Pro Bowl nod during the 2021 season after recording 12 sacks and 22 QB hits.
After posting 4.5 sacks as a rookie in 2018, Landry went on to lead Tennessee in sacks four times over his five other years with the Titans — with the veteran missing the 2022 season after suffering a torn ACL during a training-camp practice.
Even though Landry’s sack totals dropped from 10.5 to 9.0 last season, the veteran still made a sizable impact with the Titans, leading his team in sacks while also posting 71 tackles, 15 QB hits, and 15 tackles for loss over 17 games. Among edge defenders, PFF designated Landry with the fifth-best run defense rating at 82.2.
“I pride myself on being versatile and productive,” Landry said. “I want to be a guy that they can move me around, but also they can just keep me on the edge and I can win a one-on-one and I can go and be productive. But I want to be that Swiss Army Knife — that they can move around and go out and make plays for the team.”
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For Landry, who has recorded at least nine sacks in four of his six seasons, his ability to make an immediate impact with the Titans was tied into Vrabel’s knack for playing to his strengths and putting him in a position to thrive.
“That was definitely kind of the case. Once I saw how things were going, the writing was on the wall. This was definitely a place I wanted to be,” Landry said. “I was getting excited about the staff he was putting together, and I just feel like this is the right place for me and decided to be here.”
Landry’s familiarity with Vrabel and his coach’s ability to set him on a course to succeed loomed large in his decision to sign in New England.
But beyond the X’s and O’s, Landry stressed that Vrabel’s coaching approach also made Foxborough the type of destination that both he — and several other free agents — wanted to go to.
“He wants everybody to be excited when we come to work. He’s big on that. He’s big on the energy. That’s just who he is,” Landry said of Vrabel. “Everybody looks at him as this head coach, but he really just one of the boys, a locker room guy. And I really mean that.
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“He wants to get to know you, know about your family and everything that goes along with being in a relationship with you.”
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