Patriots are considering rewarding a coach with a promotion ahead of the offseason after their incredible playoff run

The Patriots’ run to the Super Bowl has them considering giving a member of their staff a deserved promotion ahead of the offseason.

Destin Adams — NFL News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots were one of the best stories in football this past year. A year removed from being one of the worst teams in football, they won the AFC East and the AFC championship before falling short in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. 

Head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye get a lot of the credit for this miraculous one-year turnaround. They both deserve it, of course. Vrabel won the NFL’s Coach of the Year award, and Maye finished second in a narrow race with Matthew Stafford for the league’s MVP.

There is another member of the coaching staff who deserves recognition, though. Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr was thrown into the role of defensive play caller midseason and knocked it out of the park. His performance has now led the Patriots to consider giving him a hefty promotion. 

Zak Kuhr is a top candidate to be the Patriots’ new defensive coordinator

The Patriots saw their defensive coordinator, Terrell Williams, have to step away for most of the season due to his battle with cancer. Thankfully, Williams is cancer-free today, but it seems he won’t be returning to his role as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Instead, he is moving to a position that NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport called a “high-ranking role on staff.” This leaves an important opening on the Patriots’ staff to fill. And they might already have their ideal candidate on staff.

Vrabel is a defensive-minded coach himself, but he chooses not to call plays. So the man at the helm during the defense’s dominant playoff showing was Kuhr. Kuhr stepped in to replace Williams this year and made the most of his opportunity.

After that level of success, it would be downright disrespectful for the Patriots not to give him serious consideration to take over as their defensive coordinator going forward. According to Rapoport, he isn’t just being considered; he is viewed as a top candidate. 

The Patriots made life hard on QBs all playoffs long. Their showing against the Houston Texans and CJ Stroud stands out the most, though. They forced the former first-round pick to throw four interceptions and only allowed him to complete 42.5% of his passes (20/47). 

Building off the momentum the defense created in the playoffs should be a major part of it. And if you ask me, the best way to do that would be to give Kuhr the keys to the defensive coordinator position, with the hope that his success as a play caller continues.