New England Patriots already have a frontrunner for their HC vacancy, and they may be bringing a very familiar face to Notre Dame fans
The 2024 NFL regular season is over, which means that vacancies are beginning to open up all across the league. That includes with the New England Patriots, who said goodbye to head coach Jerod Mayo after just one season. Coach Mayo ended his one campaign with a 4-13 overall record, which will be the last […]
The 2024 NFL regular season is over, which means that vacancies are beginning to open up all across the league. That includes with the New England Patriots, who said goodbye to head coach Jerod Mayo after just one season. Coach Mayo ended his one campaign with a 4-13 overall record, which will be the last of his 14 years with the organization as a player and coach.
Names are already beginning to surface for the open position, most notably former Patriots player and assistant coach Mike Vrabel. Coach Vrabel previously served as a Houston Texans defensive coordinator and linebacker coach, as well as the Tennessee Titans head coach for six seasons before spending one year with the Cleveland Browns as a consultant in 2024.
Vrabel has already become a hot commodity this offseason. Not only do the Patriots have interest, but so do the New York Jets. It’s going to be a battle for Vrable but there is some optimism that the Patriots can get it done.
Wherever Vrabel does end up, there’s a strong possibility that he could take a current Cleveland Browns staffer with him. According to some sources, Vrabel has developed a tremendous relationship with Tommy Rees, who served as the pass game specialist and tight ends coach for the team this season. There is a strong desire for Rees to come with Vrabel and serve as the offensive coordinator.
Rees was a member of the Notre Dame program as a quarterback from 2010-13 before embarking on his coaching career. He spent two seasons with the San Diego Chargers and Northwestern before returning to South Bend. Rees spent six seasons with the Fighting Irish as a coach, serving as quarterback coach and offensive coordinator during his time.
After the 2022 season, Rees joined Nick Saban’s final season with Alabama. Unfortunately, he wasn’t retained by the school after Saban retired, eventually ending up with the Browns. It appears there’s a reasonable possibility that New England could be the next stop in his coaching career.
