Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders were among the teams interested in speaking with Mike Vrabel before the New England Patriots hired him as their next head coach on Sunday. But Vrabel reportedly told Brady and others not to bother, because he was determined to land in New England.
Vrabel and the Patriots seemed like the most logical fit after he spent eight years of his playing career in New England — winning three Super Bowl rings over that span — and has a spot in the team’s Hall of Fame. Vrabel has remained close with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and seems like the perfect fit for a team that is in need of a no-nonsense, hands-on football coach.
But when Vrabel left his interview with the Patriots last Thursday without a contract, there was a fear in New England that some other team might be able to swoop in and steal him away. The biggest threat? The Las Vegas Raiders and minority owner Tom Brady.
But Vrabel never interviewed with the Raiders. The Raiders never even asked the former Titans head coach for an interview.
Why didn’t the Raiders request an interview with Mike Vrabel?
Vrabel first interviewed with the New York Jets before the end of the regular season, and then with the Chicago Bears last Wednesday. He interviewed with the Patriots last Thursday, and didn’t interview with any team after New England.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network explained why on Sunday. Vrabel pretty much told other teams not to bother, because he was going to be the next head coach of the New England Patriots.
“The most rumored landing spot for Mike Vrabel for months was with the Las Vegas Raiders considering they have his old friend and teammate, Tom Brady, there as the minority owner and running their coaching search,” Pelissero said on Sunday. “My understanding is the Raiders never requested an interview or tried to bring Mike Vrabel in because Vrabel essentially told Tom Brady, ‘I’m gonna end up going back to New England.’
“Other teams were aware that was the likely landing spot for Mike Vrabel for quite some time,” added Pelissero.
Vrabel wanted the Patriots job so bad he told his old pal Tom Brady — an other inquiring NFL teams — to not even try to change his mind. Now Vrabel is in New England, and the Raiders will look elsewhere for a new head coach.
Vrabel will be introduced by the Patriots at a noon press conference on Monday. You can watch the introduction live on WBZ-TV and streaming on CBS News Boston.
