Bill Belichick reacts to Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel as head coach

Recently-hired New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel earned three Super Bowl rings playing for the club under former coach Bill Belichick and later competed against Belichick while serving as head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018–23.

During a Monday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick reacted to his former employer hiring Vrabel shortly after it fired first-year coach Jerod Mayo. 

“I’ve stayed in very close contact with Mike,” Belichick explained, as shared by Lauren Campbell of MassLive. “So I have a ton of respect for Mike. I think he does a great job. He prepares his teams well. They’re very good in situational football, they’re tough, they’re competitive, they’re smart — just like he was as a player.”

It was Vrabel’s Titans that defeated Belichick’s Patriots in a wild-card playoff game in January 2020. Quarterback Tom Brady ultimately left New England as a free agent in March of that year, and the Patriots missed the playoffs three times across four seasons before team owner Robert Kraft parted ways with Belichick. 

Mayo worked on Belichick’s staff from 2019-23, but their relationship seemingly became a bit frosty during Belichick’s final season with New England. This past fall, they got into somewhat of a war of words after Mayo referred to the Patriots as “soft” after a loss. 

On Sunday, former Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan noted that New England’s culture under Vrabel “is going to be incredible.” Belichick touched upon that subject on Monday. 

“I think teams that he’s coached and the positions he’s coached follow very much in his playing style and his preparation style,” Belichick added. “So, I love Mike. I love everything that he stands for as a football coach, and I have a lot of respect for him. I’m sure he’ll do a great job.”

Meanwhile, Vrabel acknowledged during his introductory news conference on Monday that following in Belichick’s footsteps with New England is a “unique” experience. 

“Let’s be real for a minute,” Vrabel said, as shared by Amin Touri of The Boston Globe. “Having played for him, competing against him, and also having a friendship with Bill along the way…I think it’s special, it’s unique, having played here, knowing Bill, but again, we need to focus on things that are going to help us win now, help our players, and like I said, galvanize the building, the team and our fanbase. There’s also things that I’m going to try to explain to our players, that there are things that are interesting and things that are important. I think me having played for Bill is interesting. I just don’t know if it’s important to helping our players.”

Vrabel is a one-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Award winner who, unlike Mayo, proved he can guide a club to a conference championship game appearance away from Belichick. Belichick will always be a Patriots legend, but it sounds like Vrabel will be closing the door on the franchise’s previous era.