Patriots Mike Vrabel is expected to make some changes to New England’s coaching staff. (AP Photo/Kirk Irwin)

By Conor Ryan

January 12, 2025 | 4:26 PM

The Patriots have their new head coach in Mike Vrabel.

Now, the ex-Patriots linebacker and former Titans head coach has his work cut out for him when it comes to overhauling New England’s coaching staff.

While it remains to be seen if Vrabel will retain any of the personnel from Jerod Mayo’s staff, the writing is on the wall that Vrabel will be making some significant changes in order to bring in his own coaches.

Here are nine coaches that Vrabel could bring with him to Foxborough.

The longtime Patriots offensive coordinator has been linked to Vrabel for days now, with NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo noting that McDaniels is firmly “in the mix” to run New England’s offense for a third stint in 2025. 

If Vrabel and the Patriots are looking for an experienced play-caller who isn’t exactly a flight risk for a future head-coaching gig, McDaniels makes plenty of sense as a stable and effective coach to pair with Drake Maye. 

While McDaniels’ two head-coaching assignments with the Broncos and Raiders were disastrous, his resume speaks for itself when it comes to his work on Bill Belichick’s staff. McDaniels won six Super Bowls with New England, spending most of his two tenures in Foxborough as the team’s offensive coordinator. 

Even if McDaniels’ track record and results might have been inflated by having Tom Brady as his quarterback, he also helped Mac Jones submit a Pro Bowl campaign as a rookie in 2021 before Jones bottomed out after McDaniels left for Las Vegas. 

Rees doesn’t have the same experience or tenure as McDaniels, but the Cleveland Browns pass game specialist and tight ends coach is viewed as a rising star in the coaching ranks. Vrabel worked with Rees in Cleveland last season while the former served as a coaching and personnel consultant with the Browns in 2024. 

The 32-year-old Rees has plenty of experience working with QBs at the collegiate level, serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at both Notre Dame (2020-22) and Alabama (2023) before joining Cleveland last season. 

The current Raiders tight ends coach has plenty of familiarity with Vrabel, serving as an offensive assistant coach and tight ends coach from 2018-22 on his staff in Tennessee before spending the last two years with Chicago and Las Vegas. 

Even though the Raiders were often a mess in 2024, Steckel has a feather in his cap when it comes to the dominance put forth by rookie tight end Brock Bowers in Vegas. Bowers was a force this season, reeling in 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. 

Another familiar face in New England, Welker is now a free agent after the Dolphins let him go after three seasons with the organization. Welker has plenty of experience working with talented wideouts, serving as wide receivers coach with the 49ers (2019-21) before being tabbed as Miami’s “pass game specialist” from 2022-24.

Given the lack of talent — and development — currently in place on New England’s receiving corps, hiring Welker as the team’s wide receivers coach might be a strong move by Vrabel. 

If the Patriots are looking for a talented offensive mind to mentor Maye, McCown holds plenty of appeal. The longtime QB has made a successful transition into coaching, serving as the Vikings quarterbacks coach in 2024 and turning Sam Darnold from a journeyman into a legitimate weapon with the Vikings. 

If Vrabel and Co. believe that McCown is ready for a promotion, he could gain even greater results working with a talent like Maye. 

Caley has plenty of ties to New England, earning praise as the team’s tight ends coach from 2017 to 2022. He was once tabbed as being “well-positioned” to take over as New England’s offensive coordinator in 2024, but he reportedly turned down a hefty contract from the Patriots in order to stay with Sean McVay’s staff in Los Angeles, where he served as the Rams’ tight ends coach and pass game coordinator this past year. 

The 41-year-old Caley’s stock is expected to rise with each new year he spends collaborating with McVay. 

If the Patriots are looking for a clean slate on the defensive side of the ball, Bowen has been tabbed as a top candidate for Vrabel’s staff. Bowen has plenty of experience working with Vrabel, initially collaborating with him as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2012. 

Bowen clearly left an impression on Vrabel, as he worked with him as a defensive assistant in Houston for two seasons when Vrabel was the Texans’ linebackers coach (2016) and defensive coordinator (2017). Once Vrabel took over in Tennessee, he hired Bowen as an outside linebackers coach (2018-2020) before being promoted as defensive coordinator (2021-2023).

The one issue with Bowen’s candidacy is that he’s currently serving as the Giants’ defensive coordinator. As NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo noted, Giants head coach Brian Daboll “is moving forward” with Bowen as his DC, which means New England might have to wait things out in order to bring in Bowen.

Saleh is likely considered the top defensive coordinator available during this current NFL coaching carousel. The former Jets head coach has long been considered an intense and effective defensive mind, leading a stingy 49ers squad as their DC from 2017-20. 

Under Saleh’s watch, San Francisco saw several players like Fred Warner and DeForest Buckner develop into impact players alongside top draft picks like Nick Bosa — with the Niners advancing to Super Bowl LIV in 2020. 

Saleh could also be targeted by other teams this offseason as a head-coaching candidate, while ESPN reported that Saleh is viewed as a favorite to return as the 49ers’ DC this upcoming season. 

Banda might be a more realistic option for New England’s next DC, especially with Banda already interviewing for the Colts’ defensive coordinator gig last week.

Vrabel worked with Banda in Cleveland this past season, with Banda serving as Cleveland’s safeties coach. He previously held defensive coordinator roles at the University of Miami (2019-20) and Utah State (2021-22).

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