"34 minutes. That'll be the longest we ever go."

That's what New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said at the end of his press conference and he wasn't kidding. 

He spoke with reporters for a long time on Monday morning at the 2025 Annual NFL League Meetings in West Palm Beach, Florida. And during that time, he addressed so many important questions ahead of the NFL Draft and the outlook of this coming year after the offseason additions. 

So, without further ado, here is the full transcript by A to Z Sports from Vrabel's press conference: 

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What's the plan at left tackle? 
"The plan is to continue to evaluate our roster and see who's there that we can continue to work there. We're going to bring the players in on April 7. I think that Caedan (Wallace) is certainly going to get an opportunity there as the roster is currently constructed. And Vederian (Lowe's) going to be coming back and he had a procedure, so I think the draft is going to be a good option for us. There's a lot of guys in the draft that we like at a lot of different levels. I'm confident between now and when the seasons starts that we're going to have something we believe in and a plan that's going to help us."

Excitement level getting Stefon Diggs?
"Well Stefon brings an energy to him. I think it's fun to coach players like that – guys who have a confidence to them that understand the game of football, that have been around it, that have developed. This isn't like a first round draft pick. Stefon went later in the draft and continued to improve, and has done that and has been productive each and every year. But, I love his energy. I love our conversations so far. Looking forward to getting him back there and helping him recover from the surgery." 

On LSU's Will Campbell and Missouri's Armand Membou
"I think they are great, young, talented players that have great film. Will's got a lot of snaps at left tackle. Membou's played right, but there's a lot of guys that player right and left and switched. Those are two good, young players to talk about in that conversation, but there's others throughout the draft." 

Do you view Will Campbell as a tackle? 
"Yeah, I mean I think you have to. I don't understand how you can watch him play in the SEC, which is the best conference in college football, against guys who are going to get drafted at that position. So, I don't think you have to project. You can just actually watch and say there's his snaps at left tackle and evaluate. See what you think."

Would you be open to trading back at No. 4 overall? 
"I think we'd be open to everything we felt could help the football team. I think that's what we have to do. Whether it's stick and pick a player or if someone has an offer for us, I think we'd be willing to listen. But there's a lot of options that we have to consider that could help the team." 

Do you feel you have a clearer picture of how picks 1-3 might go? 
"No. Do you have any idea? You tell me who goes 1, 2, and 3, and I'll tell you who goes 4." 

Travis Hunter's ability to play on both offense and defense
"I don't know how anybody could say how hard it would be. We've never seen a player necessarily do it. I think there's some things that he can improve on by probably concentrating on just one position. But never going to put an restrictions on Travis or any player. We try, as much as they can handle, we're going to continue to put more on their plate. So, if he were on our football team and he showed a great skill at one position and was starting to really do well, and was condition, and he didn't fall off or didn't drop, we would be open to playing everybody that we have at more than one position. Anything that would help the football team, I would be all in favor of."

Does Travis Hunter have to have a primary position? 
"I think to improve, there has to be a primary focus. Just to be able to get some of the details that are required at this league. We'll see once everybody's on our football team, where they end up playing or where they end up starting out and practicing."

On the report that Stefon Diggs could be ready to play by Week 1
"I try to stay away from timelines and predictions. I know that he's working hard to get back, which is exciting. I think it's, by all accounts, everything is on schedule and we feel good about where his rehab is and what he's doing. But I think with any injury, I'm never going to put a timeline on it. I don't think it's fair, one to the players. What one person's MCL injury might be is not the same as another player's injury. Everybody recovers differently. As long as they're working hard to get back with every injury, that's all we can ask of them. I just don't think it fair to put a timeline on it."

Stefon Diggs described the visit as a "get to know you" process. What did you learn about him? 
"All the things that we've talked about before. Just his presence, the energy, knowledge of the game, his ability to talk through things and talk through his rehab and his plan and how he prepares for the game, the relationship with the quarterback. All those things that we worked through over the course of a few days. It was an easy visit. The conversation were easy. Nothing was forced. Looking forward to moving with him on our roster."

Will you be drafting for need at No. 4 overall or taking the best player available? 
"I think you have to be careful. Hopefully those two things can come together and align when you're draft, but we certainly want to add premium players at the top of the draft and throughout the draft. That's our goal."

On releasing captains such as David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, Deatrich Wise, and Ja'Whaun Bentley and how he envisions the leadership in the locker room this season
"I think there's going to be opportunities for everybody. If they've been in the league eight or nine years or they've been in the league one or two years. It'll be some rookies. There will be plenty of opportunities for guys to lead and create a new identity for us and this football team moving forward."

Why release David Andrews and not give him the opportunity to work with Josh McDaniels again? 
"We felt like that was the best decision for us and we thank David for his contributions and what he's done. I thought it was best for our football team that we move on and we're excited about the guys we've got upfront, with we were able to add Garrett Bradbury and Cole's worked hard at center the last couple weeks of the season, which he did and played there. And it was pretty impressive considering he hadn't spent much time there."

Is the plan to keep Cole Strange at center? 
"I think he'll work on the interior three, but I'd like to give him an opportunity to compete at center and build off of what he did last year."

Was the decision to not bring back David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, Deatrich Wise, and Ja'Whaun Bentley, individual football decision or collectively about a culture reset in the looker room?
"No, I think those are all individual decisions. The captain "C" is not a four year term, it's not an eight year term, it's a year to year term that every player has to prove themselves each and every day to the football team. And again, there were some veteran players that have done a lot of great things and it was just individual decisions. Some of those other players moved on and went to another football team, some we had decisions that we made, so that's just all part of the roster construction."

How important is it to build that core of young players in this draft? Three, four guys who are longterm contributors. Last year was kind of an x-factor on how many guys. The previous year not a lot of guys.
"It's tough. It catches up with you. If you don't draft well, it catches up with you. You have to chase in free agency and you got to be perfect. So, the draft is critical to be able to find players that fit a role and you develop them and you decide to retain them and build through the draft. Because you know the person or the player can really excel in your program and what you believe in. So, you got to draft well. If not, it catches up with you."

It can't be one guy a year or two guys a year. But, you can't get all 10. 
"No, but you have to have the volume in that draft. Or if you're going to go up for players, you have to be convicted on them because of the capital it's going to cost you to go up and get them."

Thoughts on the Tush Push and if it should be banned
"What I think we should not do and be careful of, is there is a lot of different plays that you have to defend, that the offense does well. And that particular play, you have to defend it. It's also tough to defend Lamar Jackson when he runs the ball. So, I'm all in favor of getting rid of those plays that are tough to defend, but we just try to focus on what the rules are and use them to our advantage. 

Where do things stand with Christian Barmore? 
"By all accounts, I think he'll participate in the voluntary offseason program. Voluntarily be there. This is my point to see how many times I can say the word voluntarily in a 30 second hit. But I write a letter voluntarily to the players to make sure that they voluntarily read it and voluntarily show up. 

He came in with energy. He showed up the other day to see the doctors. And I knew Christian from when I saw him at Alabama. Haven’t really had any interaction with him, and when he walked into the training room, all the trainers and just his energy and presence, so I know that he’s feeling better. We’ll continue to evaluate him. It’s something very serious, especially when you are talking about something like blood clots. We take the health of our players extremely serious, especially when you’re talking about something like blood clots, and we’re going to have a great plan for him. We’re going to do right by him whatever is necessary. However we can get him to help us based on days of practice, based on everything that he needs. And we don’t have that plan yet, but we’re continuing to work through it.”

On Caedan Wallace and his injury last season
"I think by all accounts, you try to, offensive lineman can't really play special teams. They're not a contributor. You have a tight end, you have a running back, you got a linebacker. Some of these young players, they can get their feet wet and develop on special teams. Gain a confidence going out and doing those things on special teams. And Caedan, they were trying to do that with the XL tight end. And he was doing a nice job. He was playing physical, doing a nice job, and then got injured. And by all accounts, worked extremely hard through the process to, one, get back, but also to train while he was out. So, looking forward to working with him and we're only going to evaluate what we see going forward. We don't care how you got here, we just care about what you do going forward. So, whatever they are coming in there, we'll evaluate them, we'll work with them, and we'll try to have a role or a vision for them."

Is there thought to leaving Caedan Wallace at left tackle because he's never played that before? 
"It's something to consider. We're going to consider everything once we get everyone in the building and figure out what's best for the player and what's best for the team."

What are your thoughts on Penn State tight end Tyler Warren? Just build the whole offense out of tight ends. 
"But, how many tight ends can we play, right? I think we would love to add as many good football players or have that play style. And you certainly watch Tyler and his play style and his demeanor, and having met with him at the combine, I think he's a wonderful prospect. I'm all for playing and acquiring as many tight ends as we can possibly get. So, sign me up. Bring me as many good tight ends as you have out there and we'll find them something to do."

What went into the decision to release Ja'Whaun Bentley? 
"These are difficult decisions. They are good players that have been here for a while and made great contributions to the football team before I was here. I know that the Kraft family and the organization appreciate everything that they did. But these are decision that we don't take lightly. These are tough personnel decisions that we have to make. Once we come to that conclusion, we be as honest and direct to the player that we can. Thank them. And that's what we did with Ja'Whaun."

Layden Robinson started at right guard last season, but moved to left. Where do you see him? 
"I do think for going, for some of these interior offensive linemen, it's critical that there is a level of versatility that they can play multiple sides. It's just tough to be so specialized and we'll give them an opportunity to compete. But I do think for some of the interior players, and again, you're going to have to evaluate who the swing tackle is and some of those guys during the game that can cross train and be at the left side and the right side. So, he was able to get some quality snaps last year. Had some good snaps on tape, had some snaps that he'd like to have back that he can improve on. But, there has to be some versatility inside once you start getting to the games."

Do you have a better vision of what Josh McDaniel's offense will look like given the additions you've made in free agency and that the roster is mostly put together? 
"I think we're so far from game planning right now. I think we're just putting the base stuff and putting what we believe in, as far as the way that we want to play, the style, the things that I believe in. Playing with the technique and all the details to the play. So we're not going to overload guys. We've got time. We really want to make sure that we're starting this thing off the right way and don't assume that they know anything about our system or our style. But it'll always be multiple just like it was. I mean, there's going to be opportunties for two backs in the back field, for multiple tight ends on the field, having three wide receivers. And you talk about the run game, I think being able to have some multiplicity and not just get married to one particular style I think is important. But we always want to be able to create some conflict with the defense and have multiple ways to do that, whether that's going on the ball, whether that's being able to shift in motion. And again, once we see what our players can handle, I think that's the level to which we take the offense and how quickly we do it is based on them.

Is the plan to go with Robert Spillane at linebacker and have him wear the green dot? And what do you like about him in that role if that's what it is?
"Well, lot of production. I love the person, I love what he's about. But, a lot of production in the last couple of years. I think his ability to get his hands on the football and the passing game is something that we valued. His ability to play three downs – he did that for Vegas – is something that was critical. We haven't passed out the helmets with the head gear or head system, coach to quarterback, yet, so I don't know where that's going to fall. But I would imagine that he would be one of the players that we would consider to be able to do that." 

The Patriots have never had a passing game coordinator, so how will the logistics of that work. Does Thomas (Brown) draw pass plays up and bring them to Josh (McDaniels)? How do you envision that working? 
"Yeah, that system has been pretty fluid here with Thomas and Todd Downing and Josh. Those guys have worked together well with Ashton Grant. It's good to have some outside eyes on the system and the scheme. And, as Josh's offense has kind of evolved, it kind of gets added on at the bottom. And I think what Thomas can do with Todd is kind of look and get things cleaned up and put it in more of a bucket. And being able to be a coach that's learning it how they would be able to teach it. I think that's something we always want to look at is how will we teach this to the players? What's the best way to get this across to the players? Having a fresh set of eyes with Thomas and Todd and Ashton or Tony Dews, allows them to say, 'Hey Josh, let's clean up this or this is how we did it with the Rams, or this is how we did it with the Jets, or this is how we did it with other places.' And then they go through this process and we sit in there and we look… it's allowed I think for it to get cleaned up a little bit and just having those communications where maybe it was Josh took it for granted and these new coaches are like, 'I think it can hit the players brain a little better this way or here's how I've been able to coach it. And they've been able to clear it up."

How has meshing gone so far between your coaching group and the people you are familiar with and Eliot Wolf, and the vision for the players?
"We're constantly talking about what we feel is best for the team and I thin when you go through, it's more so during the college evaluation, that there's the coaching report and what the personnel side would be – the evaluation. And I love having been a head coach that I can see when these things where one group's going to have the guy here, the other's one's here. And I'm like, 'Oh we're heading towards that, well he doesn't do this. There was a player in last year's draft that was like a really good pass protector, but he really didn't do much in the run game. And I'm thinking to myself, 'Oh we're headed to one of these the scouts love this guy and the coaches can't stand him.' And sure enough in Cleveland it happened, sitting through the personnel meeting. So, those are going to happen. We didn't take that player, the Browns didn't take that player, so it didn't matter. But it was just continually to have a vision for the coaches, the best thing is to have a vision. Like this is what this player is going to do for us. This is how we're going to use them. And then the personnel side says, 'okay, here are the traits, here's the skill set, this is what the measurables are.' And you always want to try to combine that. So, it's my job I think to coordinator both sides of that."

But that can set someone up for an 'I told you so.'
"Well we never want to do that, but that's human nature. We want to try to eliminated those things from our program, the 'I told you so's.' You can put it on me. I'm a big boy. Trust me, we're going to have a lot of things that go well, which will be due to the players and the assistant coaches, and we'll have some things that won't go so well and you can put those on me. I can take it."

At your introductory press conference, you said your goal was to win the division and host a home playoff game. Based on what you've done so far, do you feel you're closer?
"We won March. We won March. Amazing, which is something that's comical. We're never just trying to win March. We want to just try to be ready when the season goes, and it's a long process.

Are you happy with what you've done? 
"I'm never happy…. Sometimes… Am I happy? Yes. I think what we've done has been exciting, it's been fun to come to work. There's an energy in the building which I am proud of , that when I hear that from people around the building that maybe have been there, that makes me happy. Everybody is excited and there's an energy about coming to work and ultimately trying to help the players." 

Based on your conversations and evaluations of last year's roster, what was your impression of what went wrong with Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker? And how does that inform your approach moving forward?
"I didn't do a whole lot of investigating about what went wrong. I'm trying to focus on what's going to go right. And so, I know that Ja'Lynn's working hard, he's excited about being a new dad, he's working hard to rehab that shoulder. And again, he said this not me, but this is something I'll always say, is he's focused on what he can do as opposed to what he can't do. So he's lifting hard, he's lifting his lower body hard, he wants to get stronger. And where he can make gains about strength is in his lower body because he's rehabbing his shoulder. So, that's exciting to me. 

"Javon, I've been communicating with and again,  I'm excited to get these guys back whenever they come back and get going. Like, we're going to evaluate them going forward, not anything that happened. And if there's things we can try to eliminate from last year, we've had those conversations. And whatever their frustrations were or whatever things that did or didn't happen, we're moving forward with what we see in them and the excitement that they have. So, the more excited they are about learning, we'll be just as excited about teaching them."

In the past, it's been difficult for young receivers to pick up Josh McDaniels offense. So, how close is this offense that Josh is going to run going to be to what he ran when Brady was there?
"There are going to be changes There has to be changes. We have to start somewhere and to say that Drake is going to be somebody else in this system after five or six years, I don't think that's fair to say. So, we're going to start with a foundation, and those are the most important things, and building and making sure the receivers. We're not just going to go past something because it says it on the schedule. If it takes us an extra day, then it takes us an extra day. If it takes us an extra week to get the first couple installs in, then that's what it's going to take. We're not just going to gloss over things. We believe strongly in teaching and helping those players and figuring out how they learn best, and making sure we're doing everything we can to give them a chance to help themselves.

Thoughts on Joe Milton and the trade rumors
"Yeah, I think Joe did everything that they asked him to do last year. It sounds like, in conversations, that he worked extremely hard. And that's tough when you're a quarterback. Everybody wants to play, everybody wants to be the starter. And it's great to have that attitude. And he was ready for his opportunity there late in the season, which I commend him on just like I would any player that sat there and went through a long season, a difficult season, and got the opportunity. He went out, won a football game, played well, helped his team win. And then, where that leads to, we'll see as the draft approaches and where Joe is on April 7 to start our offseason program. But you got to give Joe credit for being ready to go, going from the third quarterback to being able win that football game and stay ready and stay hungry."

Your life would be easier if they lost, but are you happy they won as a coach and a player?
"It was a difficult season, and you want to compete and fight. And those players out there were going everything that they could to win a football game, and I think that's the mentality, that's the environment that you want to create. So, to say that there's any other reason, I think that's not what you want to create. And somebody has the first pick, and somebody's going to have the second, the third. But, those players, put yourself in their position. Like to get that opportunity to go out there and play and to compete and to put tape out there, that's important. That's important for their career, that's important to instill that in the football team, and I don't think you can have it any other way. So, I'm proud of all those guys that did that and they fought and they won a football game."

Why did you decide to match the Raiders offer sheet for LB Christian Elliss? 
"This was a difficult decision and it was one that we ultimately decided that a young, ascending player that has a skill set and speed and feel like he can do a lot of different things for us and his arrow is up. We felt like we wanted to keep him on the roster. In order to do that, we had to match the offer sheet, and Christian is excited by all accounts to be back. We're excited to have him. This is a player who the more he played, the better he got. He was very good on third down and fourth down. And then on first and second down, the more he played, the better he got on first and second down."

Anything set in stone regarding joint practices for this summer? 
"Still waiting for the NFL, but have had conversations with Minnesota. Washington I think would love to come up. We'd love to go to Minnesota if the NFL gives us those opportunities."

What draws you to Minnesota?
"Cheese curds… We practiced with them a few years ago in Tennessee. It's a nice setup. They have a beautiful facility. There's a hotel close by. You can walk to the field. I've enjoyed workin with Kevin (O'Connell) and (Brian Flores) in their team."

What are the most important things you have to do leading up to the draft for you personally? 
"Just have enough exposure with those players in the first few rounds that we see in the top 100, 150 players that I have to have enough exposure. And our scouting department has done a fantastic job. Our personnel department with Eliot (Wolf) and Ryan (Cowden), and Cam Williams helping us through there, and Matt Groh, and everybody getting out and going different places, and bringing guys in on 30 visits and making suggestions, like, 'hey, what do you think about this guy coming in. Let's get some more information on this guy.' So, I've loved where the process has been, and we worked well through the free agency process of being able to have a plan, being able to pivot off of that, move quickly, be decisive. Those were some things we were really excited about. And I think the balance for me is just making sure that I'm doing everything I can with our current players, but also making sure I'm staying up on the guys that we may add to our football team."

You haven't signed a running back yet. Is that an area you would like to address in the draft? 
"I mean, I think so. Having a good, young runner is something that's potenitally something that we would like to do. I thought the guy's coming back, I think Rhamondre (Stevenson) and (Antonio Gibson) were a good one, two punch. People are going to talk about Rhamondre and putting the ball on the ground, and he knows that. But we'll help him there and we'll also, we're going to make sure the other 10 players know that their job is to protect the guy with the ball as well. There are some opportunities for me to teach the other guys that second guy in, the one you don't see, is the one that's making the fumble or causing the fumble. And so, it's a great opportunity for me to show those other players, their guys, the one coming in there to knock the ball loose. Is that going to all be on the running back? No. It's going to be on the guy that let his guy get in there and make the hit. So those are great opportunities for me, but we'd love to add good, young players on offense and skilled players."

How's it been coming back to New England? 
"It's exciting. I thought that there'd be some new faces, but unfortunately there's some of the same faces that have been there. But some new ones. But it feels good. It feels good to be back there. I'm excited to come to work and looking forward to this thing getting going."

How's it going to work with the three offensive line coaches? 
"I think that's a good question. I think that's, I was excited about adding the two guys that we added and keeping (Robert Kugler). And usually that third position is a younger quality control coach. I'm excited about having three guys that, like you said, it's a tough position to develop, so in the spring, if we can have three guys that are working with how ever many players are there in smaller groups, that can be really beneficial. And having those guys and the trust and once you get to the season, I want to be very efficient with our time. I don't want tired coaches, I don't want exhausted coaches. I want coaches that come in with energy and so to be able to divvy up some of those responsibilities to work ahead on the pressure, the third down game, making sure we've got the run game and the diagrams drawn. I think that all those guys are going to be able to do that and we'll divvy up the responsibilities so that everybody's efficient."

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