As soon as he could get away from his introductory press conference, Mike Vrabel made his way to the scouts’ offices in Gillette Stadium — Eliot Wolf’s part of the building. Vrabel had told the media that he was excited to sit down with Wolf and the scouts. And he meant it. So he changed out of his suit and tie and almost immediately jumped into a discussion with the scouting staff, which was on-site to prepare for the offseason.
It was this time last year, and the Patriots had more than $120 million in cap space and a top-five draft pick.
What they didn’t have were wins.
They’d gone 4-13 in two straight seasons, and Vrabel was the team’s third head coach in 25 months, following Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo.
“[Vrabel] simply form of got here in and began speaking ball,” Wolf, the Patriots’ de-facto basic supervisor, advised me in a telephone dialog. “I overlook what place we have been watching. As an instance it was linebacker. We launched into linebackers. He began speaking about what he seems to be for in a linebacker. A number of the guys that had been profitable for him prior to now and the the reason why.”
Wolf added: “He took an curiosity from day one. … And actually simply coming off the tough yr that we had the yr earlier than, simply a number of the constructive enthusiasm that he had was necessary for these guys [in the scouting department] to listen to.”
You understand the place this story ends: at Tremendous Bowl LX, with the Patriots making ready to face the Seattle Seahawks. And with Vrabel successful the NFL Coach of the 12 months Award.
Mike Vrabel went straight from his introductory press convention final January to a gathering with the Patriots’ scouts. (Photograph by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe by way of Getty Pictures)
New England is the primary workforce ever to rise from 4-13 one season to a Tremendous Bowl berth within the subsequent. There have been some groups that ascended into the massive recreation after a four-win season, together with the 2020 and 2021 Bengals and the 1998 and 1999 Rams. However the Patriots are in uncommon firm.
It began in that assembly on Vrabel’s first day of labor, when he started to speak what he wished his workforce to appear to be with the individuals who have been in control of getting the gamers that match the coach’s preferences. A superb scouting workers will get transcendent skills. A fantastic scouting workers will get transcendent skills who carry a coach’s imaginative and prescient to life. That form of communication is rather more tough than you’d anticipate — all of the extra cause for Vrabel to start out instantly.
“I simply assume that me being round is necessary, having conversations with these guys,” Vrabel mentioned at a press convention when requested about that preliminary assembly. “Once I was a place coach, to have the ability to hyperlink up with the scouts, speaking about post-draft or speaking with them. That is an open line of communication with our coaches and our personnel division.”
That kicked off what Wolf known as an “organized marriage” with Vrabel, the place the coach arrived as a brand new rent with Wolf holding over from previous iterations of the group (going again to Belichick).
There have been rumblings that Wolf was dropping energy upon Vrabel’s arrival, provided that the coach was more likely to have the ultimate say on personnel selections, which had been Wolf’s position with Mayo. On the time, Wolf disregarded the transition. Now, it is easy to see why.
“On the finish of the day, you need to win. I need to win,” Wolf advised me this week. “So I felt like Mike actually gave us an excellent alternative to win, which clearly he has. And that is the place you’ll be able to put your ego to the facet. And it is by no means been about having probably the most energy. For me, it is at all times been about successful.”
Eliot Wolf speaks to the media through the 2025 NFL Mix shortly after the workforce employed Mike Vrabel. (Photograph by Brooke Sutton/Getty Pictures)
Previous to working collectively, Wolf and Vrabel have been pleasant, having run into one another at professional days and the NFL Mix. However the two didn’t actually know one another when Vrabel started interviewing for the job. Patriots homeowners Robert and Jonathan Kraft put aside time for the 2 males to talk through the interview course of, they usually have been instantly in lockstep.
“He believes in a number of the identical issues that I imagine in,” Wolf mentioned.
The priorities have been apparent.
“Put the workforce first, do what’s proper for the workforce, deal with individuals the appropriate method, create a program that we are able to all be pleased with and that folks need to be part of,” Wolf advised me.
Wolf and Vrabel then went out and overhauled the teaching workers and roster. Among the many coaches, solely particular groups coordinator Jeremy Springer stayed. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams (and his understudy Zak Kuhr) arrived to guide the opposite teams.
Then the brand new gamers arrived on protection: defensive finish Milton Williams, linebackers Harold Landry and Robert Spillane, defensive lineman Ok’Lavon Chaisson and rookie security Craig Woodson. The Patriots additionally addressed their wants on offense, rebuilding the road with 4 new gamers: rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson and veterans Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses. Lastly, they added veteran receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, rookie receiver Kyle Williams and second-round working again TreVeyon Henderson.
New England had a large draft class of 11 gamers, with a strong quantity of draft capital: 4 picks within the high 100 and 5 within the high 106. The workforce additionally spent $209 million in assured cash on free brokers in 2025, probably the most within the NFL final offseason.
If Spillane (ankle) and Landry (knee) can play within the Tremendous Bowl, the Patriots could have six starters on offense and 7 starters on protection who’re new to the workforce in 2025. And do not forget two of the three specialists: kicker Andy Borregales and lengthy snapper Julian Ashby.
The free-agent headliner was Williams, whom New England satisfied to defect from the Philadelphia Eagles with a four-year, $104 million deal, the biggest in Patriots historical past by common annual worth — sure, even larger than any contract Tom Brady inked. Williams was and is a man Wolf and Vrabel each cherished. He’s the man Vrabel approached in the beginning of the postseason and posed this problem: “Large guys eat in January.
And if the Patriots are fortunate — in February, too.
“Philadelphia, to their credit score, had actually too many good gamers at a place, and he was accessible the place most likely 9 occasions out of 10, that participant would not be accessible. We felt like he was a precedence,” Wolf advised me.
Milton Williams sacked Justin Herbert twice within the Patriots’ 16-3 wild-card win over the Chargers. (Photograph by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe by way of Getty Pictures)
The attention-grabbing factor isn’t simply how a lot the Patriots modified by altering gamers. It’s additionally fascinating how a lot they modified by elevating the gamers who have been part of the 2024 workforce.
“I do not assume these guys get talked about sufficient,” middle Garrett Bradbury advised me at observe final week. “I feel they went by means of some darkish occasions with some robust seasons, some robust losses. And for these guys to purchase in, and the free brokers and the rookies like this, speaks to Vrabel’s management and what he wished this workforce to appear to be.”
The obvious participant is quarterback Drake Maye, who went from a uncooked passing prospect in 2024 to an MVP finalist in 2025. That’s due largely to his exhausting work and his traits. It is also a credit score to the teaching workers, from McDaniels to quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant.
What’s attention-grabbing is seeing Maye develop into his head coach’s picture. You’d hear Maye speaking trash across the locker room a complete lot extra this yr, not in contrast to Vrabel. Maye supplied to let new guys, together with Bradbury, crash at his home — similar to Vrabel as soon as did with teammates when he was a participant. Maye holds his gamers accountable and particulars his preferences on routes and pre-snap communication.
You possibly can see Vrabel shaping Maye, the participant Wolf drafted with the No. 3 general decide in 2024.
Drake Maye has made an enormous leap in his second NFL season, turning into a finalist for the NFL MVP award. (Photograph by Andy Lyons/Getty Pictures)
The identical is true of cornerback Christian Gonzalez, arguably the workforce’s greatest defensive participant. He’s so soft-spoken that he could be tough to even hear within the locker room, and but he’s discovered his voice together with his teammates.
“Within the DB room, within the defensive assembly room, [I’m] listening to that once I say one thing, individuals hear,” Gonzalez advised me. “Guys have advised me that, and advised me I can use my voice to talk up. And I imply, not even simply soccer stuff. However being a man. Individuals come to speak about off-the-field stuff.”
Reshaping the Patriots’ tradition additionally meant shifting on from gamers who didn’t match.
New England traded key contributors from years previous in security Kyle Dugger and edge Keion White. It’s not precisely honest to say it was a case of addition by subtraction, however the Patriots have been in some way sellers on the commerce deadline. They moved Dugger to the Steelers and White to the 49ers.
“Each gamers had skilled heavier roles prior to now than they have been getting on the time,” Wolf advised me. “[Kyle] wished a bigger position, and we have been in a position to make that occur for him, whereas not hurting ourselves.
“Keon had actually form of wished extra of a possibility to perhaps do a number of the inside rush stuff that he had had some success on prior to now. We had Milton and Christian [Barmore] who have been enjoying very well.”
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, right here defending a go supposed for Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman, was an All-Professional final season and a Professional Bowler this yr. (Photograph by Michael Owens/Getty Pictures)
If you add up all of the motion from Vrabel and Wolf, you’ll be able to see how the workforce went from 13 losses in 2024 to 17 (and perhaps 18) wins in 2025.
“We deal with [players] the identical method they deal with the workforce,” Vrabel advised me earlier this season. “And so meaning we will most likely deal with them in a different way, however we will deal with them the identical method they deal with the workforce.”
It began with compassion and honesty, with gamers standing in entrance of one another at workforce conferences to share their “4 H’s” — hopes, historical past, heroes and heartbreaks. Vrabel blended these team-building workout routines with brutal honesty, which the coach makes use of to carry gamers accountable.
And there have been so many alternative Vrabel ways alongside the way in which, together with common showings of WWF clips from the “Street Warriors” and the Seventies film “The Warriors.” These have been supposed to encourage the gamers to keep up their undefeated streak on the street, which stands at 9-0. (And technically, it may attain 10-0 this week, with the Patriots set to put on their white “away” uniforms in Santa Clara.)
When coaching camp begins each summer season, all 32 NFL groups need to win a Tremendous Bowl. However, realistically, only some are seen as having a real shot on the title. There weren’t many individuals who thought the Patriots had an opportunity this season. However they received up to now as a result of Wolf and Vrabel discovered artistic and collaborative options to the workforce’s many issues.
Their organized marriage helped them organize a roster that is worthy of a Lombardi Trophy.
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