The Patriots surprised the NFL world tonight by firing Jerod Mayo after the team’s 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills. The termination seemed like a fate accompli in recent days and it finally happened today.
Former Patriots and Titans coach Mike Vrabel is the favorite but the Patriots will need to go through the hiring process and they will need to interview minority candidates. If they go through the process, here some other names to consider for the job.
1. Mike Vrabel, Former Tennessee Titans Head Coach: Vrabel is the favorite for the job and rightfully so. A fan favorite and a Patriots Hall of Famer who won three Super Bowls as a player in New England. As a coach, Vrabel took the Tennessee Titans to the playoffs twice, including the AFC Championship in 2019. The same playoff run that ended Tom Brady’s tenure in New England. Robert Kraft’s affinity for Vrabel is well known. It would be an upset if Vrabel did not get the job.
2. Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator: Flores won three Super Bowls in New England as a defensive assistant. He was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins for three years and had two winning seasons. Flores played at Boston College so his roots in New England do run deep. He is currently suing the NFL which could impact his candidacy. His work with the Steelers and the Vikings defense the past two seasons has him back on teams radar as a head coaching candidate.
3. Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions, offensive coordinator: Johnson is the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions and he has done a great job orchestrating one of the top offenses in the NFL the past two seasons. Known for his creativity and willingness to run gadgets, Johnson is the hottest head coaching candidate in the NFL and he will more than likely take a job this off-season. His development of Jared Goff would make him a prime target of the Patriots to develop Drake Maye.
4. Kliff Kingsbury, Washington Commanders, offensive coordinator: Kingsbury is the former head coach at Texas Tech and the Arizona Cardinals. He was drafted by the Patriots in the 6th round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Kingsbury has worked wonders with rookie Jayden Daniels and his quarterback friendly Air Raid offense could work wonders for Maye. Word is Kingsbury is planning on being selective in terms of his next coaching opportunity.
5. Liam Coen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, offensive coordinator: The Warwick, Rhode Island native played at LaSalle Academy for his dad Tim Coen and he went onto a great career at UMass. From there Coen coached at UMass, URI and the University of Maine before taking a job on Sean McVay’s staff in 2022. After returning to the college ranks at Kentucky in 2023, Coen took the Buccaneers offensive coordinator job and he has worked wonders with Baker Mayfield and the Tampa offense. Coen is highly intelligent and a sure fire head coach either this off-season or next off-season.
6. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills, offensive coordinator: Brady is one of the top offensive minds in the NFl. He developed his reputation running the LSU offense in 2019 when they won the national championship with Joe Burrow, JaMarr Chase and Justin Jefferson. He has done a great job since taking over for Ken Dorsey two years ago, specifically this season. Josh Allen is an MVP candidate. Brady is a future head coach but his youth and lacking of head coaching experience make him a long shot for the Patriots.
7. Matt Nagy, Kansas City Chiefs, offensive coordinator: Nagy is apart of the Andy Reid coaching tree and he is the former head coach of the Chicago Bears. He led the Bears to 12 wins and the playoffs in 2018. After being relived of his duties, Nagy rejoined Reid’s staff in Kansas City and has won two Super Bowls. Nagy would bring the Chiefs style of play wherever he goes and he will be a prime head coaching candidate. I expect him to get another shot if he wants it this off-season.
8. Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens, offensive coordinator: Monken has done a terrific job the past two seasons coordinating an explosive offense, multi-faceted offense in Baltimore. He has extensive coordinating experience in the NFL (Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Baltimore) and he coordinated in college as well. He is 58 and lacks head coaching experience which would limit his candidacy.
9. Bill O’Brien, Boston College Head Coach: We know O’Brien’s history with the Patriots and he is a favorite of the Kraft family. He makes the list but it is highly unlikely O’Brien would leave Boston College. Only way he does is if the Patriots focus on him and make him an offer he cannot refuse.
10. Bobby Slowik, Houston Texans, offensive coordinator: Slowik’s star has faded this season but he still did a good job developing C.J Stroud as a rookie and I think he will still get interviews this off-season, the Patriots may be one of the teams that interview.