On Sept. 9, 2026, the New England Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl 60 to kick off the 2026 NFL season in prime time. PFSN recently asked our NFL analysts: Will Vrabel be coaching the Patriots when Week 1 rolls around, or will he be fired?
In this latest edition of PFSN Debates, we have a new (but somewhat related) question for our panel of NFL analysts: Should the Patriots fire Vrabel in the aftermath of the Russini scandal?
Should New England Fire Mike Vrabel? PFSN’s NFL Analysts Debate
PFSN’s NFL analysts previously predicted what the Patriots will actually do with Vrabel; today, we look at what they should do. Is firing Vrabel their best path forward?
Dan Tomaro: “I can’t see how a franchise that lived through Spygate and Deflategate would fire Vrabel for having an affair with a reporter. Even though the charges were eventually dropped, Robert Kraft had to issue a public apology in 2019 after police charged him with misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution at a Florida massage parlor, an incident that occurred the morning of the team’s AFC Championship game in Kansas City.
“Currently, the Patriots have a bright future with a young nucleus led by Drake Maye, and they have one of the better coaches in the league. It is a lot easier to let this story fade away than it is to find another coach like Vrabel.”
Terry Biggs: “Yes. The NFL preaches about the morals clause and ‘protecting the shield’ by avoiding conduct detrimental to the league. Well, when a married head coach is photographed multiple times with a media member in a non-football setting and casts criticism on your franchise, the sound public-relations move is to fire Vrabel. Yet, this franchise is owned by Robert Kraft, so Vrabel will keep his job.”
Kyle Soppe: “In an ever-evolving situation, that’s hard to say. We know the NFL is a results-driven industry and with the information at our hands, I don’t think what he’s done will limit his ability to coach a winner. Where the line is drawn between ethics and performance changes for everyone. For now, I don’t think the Patriots fire him based on the risk (public scorn) reward (repeating as AFC champions) analysis.”
Jacob Infante: “They should not. If the NFL removed everybody involved in infidelity, we’d see way more coach firings and player releases. Though definitely immoral, it’s not illegal to be involved in an affair.”
Alex Kennedy: “Based on the information we have now, I can’t imagine the Patriots will fire Vrabel. They have supported him every step of the way (even when he stepped away from the team on Day 3 of the NFL Draft), and the NFL has said that it won’t investigate the Patriots head coach under the personal conduct policy. Unless there are additional bombshells that take this story to another level, Vrabel will be the coach of the Patriots. I could see Vrabel taking a leave of absence from the team if things get crazy enough, but it’s hard for me to envision Kraft firing Vrabel after he just led the team to the Super Bowl and won the NFL’s Coach of the Year award.”
Jason Katz: “Absolutely not. In his first year as head coach, Vrabel took what was largely the same roster that Jerod Mayo had from a four-win team to the Super Bowl. This is the same coach that managed to earn a No. 1 seed with Ryan Tannehill as his quarterback in Tennessee. So many NFL teams make bad decisions at head coach and then end up cycling through bad options. The Patriots have a guy who can lead their team for Drake Maye’s entire career. Nothing about his transgressions with Russini suggests his ability to do his job is in any way impaired. From a pure footballing standpoint, this is a nonstory for the Patriots.”
Cameron Sheath: “No. Personal issues are messy, and let’s be honest, enacting punishment for personal relationship issues would set a tricky precedent for an NFL team. Mike Vrabel is a hero at Foxborough and just took this team to a Super Bowl in his first year as the team’s head coach. Even if the issue encroaches on the 2026 season, Vrabel is one of the best coaches in the NFL, and the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term distractions.”
