The New England Patriots are back to the top of the AFC, in large part thanks to head coach Mike Vrabel.
A former linebacker for three Patriots Super Bowl teams, Vrabel was a beloved player in the Boston area. Now, Vrabel is making his mark on the coaching side, finding similar success to what he had as a player.
Vrabel's coaching career has taken a few turns, including stops at both the college and the NFL level. Here's a breakdown of where Vrabel has made stops since his retirement from the NFL.
MORE: What was Bill Belichick's record without Tom Brady?
Mike Vrabel coaching timeline
2011-2013: Ohio State (linebackers coach/defensive line coach)
Vrabel's coaching career began at his alma mater, as he joined Ohio State's staff as the linebackers coach in 2011 under head coach Luke Fickell. After a year, the school hired Urban Meyer, but Vrabel remained on staff as he moved to being the defensive line coach, which was his role for two seasons.
Ohio State went a combined 14-2 in 2012 and 2013, allowing Vrabel to be part of powerhouse program in college. However, Vrabel would ultimately return to the NFL.
2014-2016: Houston Texans (linebackers coach/defensive coordinator)
Vrabel made the jump to the NFL in 2014, when he joined the Houston Texans and new head coach Bill O'Brien as the linebackers coach. O'Brien and Vrabel had a New England Patriots connection, and Vrabel provided O'Brien a familiar face to be part of his staff.
Vrabel spent three seasons in that role before he was promoted to defensive coordinator, for the 2017 season. In his lone year as DC, the Texans went 4-12 and finished third in the division, but it didn't stop Vrabel from getting a head coaching position.
2018-2023: Tennessee Titans (head coach)
As the Tennessee Titans head coach, Vrabel instantly found success, winning nine games in his first season. Then, in 2019, Vrabel made the playoffs for the first time and helped lead two upset wins during a run to the AFC championship game.
Vrabel won 54 games in Tennessee, which included back-to-back double-digit win seasons in 2020 and 2021 with AFC South division titles each season. Tennessee hosted playoff games both those years, including as the No. 2 seed in 2021, but failed to win a playoff game either season.
However, after those years of success, Vrabel had two-straight losing seasons in 2022 and 2023 which led to the Titans making a change as part of organizational upheaval. Vrabel went 13-21 in his final two seasons as the Titans head coach.
2024: Cleveland Browns (coaching consultant)
Vrabel spent the 2024 season as a consultant for Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, essentially preparing to return to being a head coach in the following season. Vrabel grew up in Akron, Ohio, so he chose to spend the season closer to home while getting to fine tune his coaching methods.
Getting back to the roots of what coaching is pic.twitter.com/QwMvWpFWcY
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) July 30, 2024
The Browns went 3-14 that year, but Vrabel got valuable behind-the-scenes experience.
2025-present: New England Patriots (head coach)
The Patriots hired Vrabel to replace Jerod Mayo in 2025, and Vrabel instantly helped turn the team around. The Patriots went 14-3, winning 10-more games than they won the previous year and becoming AFC East champions in the process.
Vrabel was a member of three Patriots Super Bowl teams in the 2000s, so he played under Bill Belichick, but he never got to coach under Belichick. New England's decision to hire Vrabel signaled a connection to the dynasty years while also moving forward with someone who found his own voice as a head coach.
MORE: Why did the Titans fire Mike Vrabel?
Mike Vrabel coaching record
| Year | Team | Record | Playoff record |
| 2018 | Titans | 9-7 | |
| 2019 | Titans | 9-7 | 2-1 |
| 2020 | Titans | 11-5 | 0-1 |
| 2021 | Titans | 12-5 | 0-1 |
| 2022 | Titans | 7-10 | |
| 2023 | Titans | 6-11 | |
| 2025 | Patriots | 14-3 | 1-0 |
Through the 2025 season, Vrabel has a career record of 68-48 and is in the top 10 on the active head coach wins list. In Tennessee, Vrabel was 2-3 in the postseason, with both playoff victories coming during the same playoff run.
Vrabel's 54 wins with the Titans is the third-most in franchise history, and one short of Bum Phillips for second-most. He did that while coaching 99 total games, which is the second-most among coaches in Titans' history, trailing only Jeff Fisher.