After 24 seasons, the Bill Belichick Era has come to an end in Foxborough.
Following a last place finish, the Patriots and their legendary coach are parting ways, and now a massive task looms: Robert Kraft must find Belichick’s successor. So who might that be?
Here are eight candidates:
Mike Vrabel, ex-Titans head coach
It’s somewhat shocking Vrabel is available, but the Titans opted to move on from the former Patriots linebacker without seeking any sort of compensation despite his strong track record in Tennessee. This leaves the door wide open for Kraft to bring him aboard. In his Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony last October, Vrabel made it clear that Foxborough is a place he values.
“I want you not to take this organization for granted,” Vrabel told the fans. “I’ve been a lot of places. This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, great coaching. Enjoy it. It’s not like this everywhere.”
Jerod Mayo, Patriots LB coach
The leader in the clubhouse before Vrabel’s unexpected free agency, the Krafts are so fond of Mayo that they released an unprecedented statement last offseason, letting the fanbase know the Patriots were in contract negotiations for an extension “that would keep him with the team long-term.” An engaging and highly intelligent coach, hiring Mayo would be a big hit in the current Patriots locker room. Players love playing for him.
“Man, he’d be a really great head coach,” Christian Barmore said. “He’d be a funny guy. He understands players. He teaches players. He’s everything a player would want.”
Ben Johnson, Lions OC
The Patriots offense was abysmal in 2023, so who better to remedy it than one of the league’s most innovative offensive minds? With Johnson’s stewardship, the Jared Goff-led Lions finished third in total offense and fifth in scoring. The Krafts would likely have to open the wallet up to bring Johnson to Foxborough though; the 37-year-old is going to be in high demand during this hiring cycle.
Brian Flores, Vikings DC
A coach the Patriots are already very familiar with, Flores turned the Vikings defense around since arriving in Minnesota. After a three year stint leading Miami, Flores now experience under his belt — the Dolphins delivered winning records in two of those seasons — and will likely want to jump back into the head coaching ring. The only thing that could complicate things is Flores’ still-pending lawsuit against the NFL, but that didn’t stop him from landing jobs in Pittsburgh and Minnesota.
Frank Smith, Dolphins OC
The Patriots know firsthand how explosive Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins offense can be, so it certainly wouldn’t hurt to bring his co-pilot in for an interview. At the very least, they might glean some intel on how Miami does things during the obligatory “how would you fix the Patriots offense?” interview conversation. The Dolphins led the NFL in yardage this season and finished second in scoring.
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines HC
Every year there’s smoke with Jim Harbaugh, but given the sign-stealing allegations and a newly-signed agent, there might actually be fire this time around. If the Patriots want to rebuild a winner, they’d be hard-pressed to find a more ready-made architect than Harbaugh, who just led the Michigan Wolverines to a National Championship.
Brian Callahan, Bengals OC
At 39 years old, Callahan has worked with Peyton Manning in Denver, Matthew Stafford in Detroit, and has overseen Joe Burrow’s ascent in Cincinnati; he’s very familiar with good quarterback play. This could be a fascinating two-for-one deal too, if Callahan wants to bring his father, Bill, to coach New England’s offensive line. He’s an all-time great assistant.
Josh McDaniels, ex-Raiders coach
This one feels like a long shot, but NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said McDaniels “shouldn’t be ruled out,” and the Krafts did like McDaniels enough to give him get-off-the-plane money to not take the Colts job in 2018. Maybe that interest is still there. Plus, the Patriots will likely be breaking a young quarterback in, and they could definitely do worse than McDaniels, who guided Mac Jones to a Pro Bowl berth as a rookie. Still, it feels more likely that he’s back in an offensive coordinator role than as head coach.
Story by Chris Mason, MassLive.com.
