Who will be Vrabel’s offensive coordinator? Perry and Curran speculate originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Now that Mike Vrabel has reimagined himself as the next head coach of the New England Patriots, he will be tasked with putting together a staff that can bring a winning culture back to Foxboro.
With young quarterback Drake Maye entering the second year 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 if he had his offensive and defensive coordinators in mind yet.
“No, that’s far from confirmed,” he replied. “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 teaches them.”
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 Tommy Rees or Josh McDaniels on the offensive end,” Perry said. “Tommy Rees, tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns. Just interviewed for the Cleveland Browns’ open offensive coordinator position. Would make a lot of sense. A younger man, a coordinator at the college level, would speak the same language that Drake Maye spoke to Alex Van Pelt this past year, because Rees worked under (Browns head coach Kevin) Stefanski, as did Van Pelt.
“And then there’s McDaniels, who would make a lot of sense to me. If you’re concerned about the possibility of bringing in a young coordinator like Tommy Rees, letting that guy have success with your good young quarterback and then seeing him leave for a head coaching job in a year or two, then I think Josh McDaniels, you probably expect him to stick around a little longer and maybe build more of a foundation with your young QB.
The 32-year-old Rees was offensive coordinator at Notre Dame from 2020 to 2022 and at Alabama in 2023. He was hired during the 2024 offseason as the Browns’ passing game specialist and tight ends coach.
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 will mark the 48-year-old’s third stint in New England.
“I think people would look at Josh as if he wanted to try to be a head coach somewhere else? Right now, he still lives here in the suburbs of Boston and his family is here, and I think he really desires a chance to put down his roots here again,” Curran said. “If the opportunity is right, if the setup is right, I think he could join the Patriots.
“There’s proximity, there’s familiarity with Vrabel, there’s a good young quarterback to work with. It’s just: what is his role? What is the expectation? How much does he get paid? Not that I think it makes a big difference, but I suspect the involvement.”
Also in the episode:
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Curran’s exclusive 1-on-1 interview with Vrabel.
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What kind of working relationship will Vrabel and Eliot Wolf have this year? What kind of offense does Vrabel want to build?
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What did Vrabel mean by the Patriots having to be “good enough to take advantage of bad football”? Are we getting ‘callbacks’ to Bill Belichick with comments like this?
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How many players on the current roster will follow Vrabel’s coaching style?
