Now that Mike Vrabel has reintroduced himself as the next head coach of the New England Patriots, he'll be tasked with assembling a staff that can bring a winning culture back to Foxboro.
With young quarterback Drake Maye entering Year 2 of his promising career, Vrabel must choose his next offensive coordinator wisely. The 16th head coach in Patriots history was asked during Monday's press conference whether he already had his offensive and defensive coordinators in mind.
“No, that’s far from solidified," he answered. "We want to put the best, talented coaches in front of our players. When they stand in front of these players, I want the players to embrace what every coach is teaching."
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So, which offensive coordinator candidates might fit that job description? Phil Perry and Tom E. Curran speculated who the next Pats OC could be on the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast.
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"My guess is it's either Tommy Rees or Josh McDaniels on the offensive side," Perry said. "Tommy Rees, tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns. Just interviewed actually for the Cleveland Browns' open offensive coordinator position. Would make a lot of sense. Younger guy, coordinator at the college level, would speak the same language Drake Maye spoke with Alex Van Pelt this past year because Rees worked under (Browns head coach Kevin) Stefanski as Van Pelt did.
"And then there's McDaniels who, to me, would make a lot of sense. If you're at all worried about the possibility of bringing in a young coordinator like a Tommy Rees, having that guy have success with your good young quarterback and then watching him leave for a head coaching job in a year or two, I think Josh McDaniels you're probably expecting him to stick around a little bit longer and maybe build more of a foundation with your young QB."
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Rees, 32, served as offensive coordinator at Notre Dame from 2020-22 and at Alabama in 2023. He was hired as the Browns' pass game specialist and tight ends coach during the 2024 offseason.
McDaniels played a role in all six of the Patriots' Super Bowl titles, primarily as an offensive coordinator during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. If he joins Vrabel's staff, it'll mark the 48-year-old's third stint in New England.
"I think people would look at Josh as if, well, is he going to want to go and try to be a head coach someplace else? At this juncture, he still lives here in suburban Boston and his family is here, and I think that he really desires an opportunity to stick those roots back in here," Curran said. "If the opportunity is right, if the setup is right, I think he would then be amendable to joining the Patriots.
"There's proximity, there's familiarity with Vrabel, there's a good young quarterback to work with. It's just, what's his role? What's the expectation? How much will he be paid? Not that I think that makes a big difference, but I guess the commitment."
Also in the episode:
- Curran's exclusive 1-on-1 interview with Vrabel.
- What kind of working relationship will Vrabel and Eliot Wolf have this year? What kind of offense does Vrabel want to build?
- What did Vrabel mean by the Patriots "need to be good enough to take advantage of bad football"? Are we getting 'callbacks' to Bill Belichick with comments like these?
- How many players on the current roster will bristle with Vrabel's coaching style?