Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Mike Vrabel reportedly ‘aggressively’ pursued this coach for his Patriots staff
Mike Vrabel's coaching staff in New England features plenty of personnel with head-coaching experience.
Mike Vrabel has plenty of experience as an NFL head coach — spending six seasons coaching the Titans before taking over his current post with the Patriots.
But even with Vrabel’s track record of running an NFL operation, the Patriots’ new head coach put an emphasis on adding other experienced coaches to his staff in Foxborough.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has plenty of history in New England as an established play-caller — along with two (ill-fated) stints as an NFL head coach with both the Broncos and Raiders.
Beyond McDaniels, the rest of New England’s coaching staff has established coaching talent in place, including former Bills/Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone (offensive line), former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo (senior defensive assistant), and former Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown (passing-game coordinator, tight ends coach).
Advertisement:
Brown will be the first passing-game coordinator in Patriots’ franchise history, with ESPN’s Mike Reiss reporting that Vrabel made a concerted effort to add Brown to the Patriots this offseason.
“The addition of former Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, who is the first passing-game coordinator in franchise history and will also work with tight ends, was a hire Vrabel pursued aggressively after interviewing him for the coordinator job,” Reiss wrote.
Brown rose through the ranks quickly on a Bears team that underwent plenty of turnover in 2024.
After starting out the season as Chicago’s passing-game coordinator, Brown took over as the team’s offensive coordinator on Nov. 12 after the team fired Shane Waldron. Brown eventually assumed the role as the team’s interim head coach after Matt Eberflus was fired, with the Bears going 1-4 for the remainder of the season.
Advertisement:
Prior to his short stint with the Bears, Brown spent three seasons on Sean McVay’s staff with the Rams from 2020-22 before taking over as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator during the 2023 season.
As passing-game coordinator, Brown will look to unlock another gear for Drake Maye in his second NFL season — while also bolstering an offense that ranked last in the NFL in 2024 with an average of 176.2 passing yards per game.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com