After an incredible run under head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, the New England Patriots struggled following Brady’s departure to Tampa Bay, leading to the franchise parting ways with Belichick. After giving former defensive standout Jerod Mayo a shot, New England tabbed former linebacker and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel to become the new head coach.
While there were some lows during his first season in New England with a developing roster, rookie quarterback Drake Maye grew from 2024, putting together an MVP-caliber campaign in 2025 as Vrabel guided the Patriots to their 12th Super Bowl appearance. Given New England’s success this season, Vrabel was the recipient of a prestigious award at the 2026 NFL Honors.
New England Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Takes Home NFL Coach of the Year
In the final season of his incredible run with the Patriots, Belichick saw the roster he turned into one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history get reduced to a 4-13 campaign in 2023. While it would be one thing if it had been an off year, this was another down year with no improvements in sight. Given the struggles, both parties agreed to part ways, leading New England to something they hadn’t needed to do since 2000: a head coach search.
They decided to go with Mayo as a first-year head coach, but the results were no better, following a 4-13 season. The Patriots went back to the drawing board, bringing in Vrabel in 2025, a man who not only had a connection to the franchise, winning three Super Bowls with New England, but also served as the Titans’ head coach from 2018 to 2023.
After some seasons of struggle, Vrabel, Maye, and the Patriots went on an incredible run in 2025, going from last in the AFC East in 2024 to Division winners and making a run through the 2026 NFL Playoffs to face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60. Given the impressive run, it was no wonder he was named 2025 NFL Coach of the Year.
Just in: The 2025 NFL Coach of the Year is #Patriots HC Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel took a 4-win Patriots team to 14 wins in his first season on the job. It’s the second time he’s won this award. pic.twitter.com/0xDzALubTB
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 6, 2026
The growth the Patriots saw in 2025 on both sides of the ball under Vrabel was astonishing. In 2024, New England ranked 26th in the NFL with a PFSN Offense Impact score of 67.6. That ranking skyrocketed to second overall in 2025, as the Patriots finished behind only the Los Angeles Rams for the best offense in the league, scoring 86.6, an almost 20-point increase.
While not as good as the offense, the defense also saw an impressive improvement in PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric. In 2024, under Mayo, the unit scored a 66.1, ranking them 30th in the league. Under Vrabel, the Patriots saw their score increase to 78.2 and their ranking rise to 12th. The improvement is easy to see and paints a clear picture of why Vrabel won NFL Coach of the Year.
