A former NFL Coach of the Year winner is officially making his long-awaited return to Foxborough this fall, with former New England Patriots linebacker and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel being the next head coach of the AFC East franchise.
Vrabel spent nine seasons as a player in New England from 2001 to 2008, making the Pro Bowl and NFL All-Pro teams in 2007 and helping the club bring home three Super Bowl championships.
He then went on to post a 54-45 (.545) record with the Titans, making the playoffs three seasons in a row from 2019 to 2021 with two victories in five postseason games before being fired by the franchise at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
Vrabel is tasked with returning to New England to right a sinking ship, as the club moved on from head coach Jerod Mayo after a single 4-13 campaign, marking the second such season after Bill Belichick finished his NFL coaching career on a similar note.
To get a sense of how previous NFL head coaches in their second stop in the league have fared, our Massachusetts sports betting experts broke down the tape on how coaches in Vrabel’s shoes have done in such situations.
NFL Head Coaches In Their 2nd Job After Firing
Situation |
|
Average Record In First Year | 7-10 |
Worst Record In First Year | 1-15 |
Best Record In First Year | 12-4 (Super Bowl Champs) |
Percentage of Teams To Reach Playoffs | 38.5% |
Average Scoring Offense Ranking In First Year | 19th |
Average Scoring Defense Ranking In First Year | 18th |
*All research were coaches that started their 2nd tenure as a head coach between 2010 and 2024. There were 26 coaches that fit the parameters.
*Best record was Gary Kubiak’s second job with the 2015 Denver Broncos that went 12-4 and won the Super Bowl.
What Can Pats’ Fans Expect Out Of Mike Vrabel?
Of the 26 coaches that started their second stop in the league between 2010 and 2024, the average record of their first season with that team was 7-10, with the low point being a 1-15 finish and the best being a 12-4 Super Bowl championship for Gary Kubiak with the Denver Broncos in 2015.
On average, NFL head coaches with their second team have made the playoffs 38.5% of the time in their first season with that club, finishing with the NFL’s 19th ranked scoring offense and 18th ranked defense on average during that span.
For Vrabel, the task at hand is to get the Patriots back to the level of play that led the franchise to the sport’s epoch under Belichick’s watch, ending New England’s three-year playoff drought and righting the ship after consecutive 4-13 seasons in Foxborough under Belichick and Mayo’s watch.
Hopefully, Patriots bettors will feel more confident placing wagers on the team next season. Be sure to check out our best Massachusetts sportsbook promos before your next wager.
Author
Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
