Patriots coach interviews
Mike Vrabel: scheduled interview Jan. 9
Seemingly the favorite to land the job in Foxborough, the former linebacker and Patriots Hall of Famer was immediately linked with New England after Mayo’s firing on Sunday.
Vrabel was named NFL Coach of the Year for the 2021 season after leading Tennessee to a 12-5 record and the No. 1 seed. After back-to-back disappointments in 2022 and 2023, Vrabel was fired by the Titans and spent 2024 as a consultant for the Browns.
All signs point to Vrabel securing the job in a hurry; with the Rooney Rule requirements satisfied, the Patriots can offer him the job as soon as they’d like, while they’d have to wait until after at least the divisional round of the playoffs (or longer) for a shot with candidates like Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Ben Johnson: scheduled interview Jan. 10
Johnson, as the mastermind behind a Detroit offense that comfortably led the NFL with 33.2 points per game this season, is one of the most coveted head coaching candidates on the market for the second consecutive year.
Johnson was expected to depart Detroit last year as a prime head coaching candidate, but opted to stay with the Lions for another season and has been a key figure in their 15-2 finish as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
The Lions allowed Johnson and Glenn to take interviews during their playoff bye week, but those interviews will be conducted virtually. New England wouldn’t be able to hire Johnson until the Lions are eliminated from the playoffs, which can’t happen until at least Jan. 18 and could likely stretch into February with Detroit looking like a Super Bowl favorite.
Byron Leftwich: interviewed Jan. 7
Leftwich, the former Buccaneers offensive coordinator, was one of two coaches interviewed by the Patriots on Tuesday.
Leftwich ran Tampa Bay’s offense during Tom Brady’s time with the Bucs, winning a Super Bowl in 2021. Leftwich was fired after the 2022 season and has not held an NFL coaching role since.
The former NFL QB was considered by many to be a future head coach during his stint in Tampa Bay and interviewed for multiple jobs in 2021, but wasn’t hired and saw interest cool after his departure from the Buccaneers.
Pep Hamilton: interviewed Jan. 7
The other coach interviewed by the Patriots on Tuesday, Hamilton last served as the Texans’ offensive coordinator under Lovie Smith. He was not retained in Houston after the team’s 3-13-1 finish in 2022. Hamilton has gained a strong reputation for his work with young quarterbacks, including the Chargers’ Justin Herbert during Herbert’s Rookie of the Year campaign in 2020.
Aaron Glenn: requested
The Lions defensive coordinator is also taking interviews this week and New England was among the teams to request his time, though there haven’t been reports of an interview being scheduled.
A 15-year NFL veteran, Glenn is in his fourth year running the Detroit defense and has turned the group into one of the NFL’s best, with the Lions ranking seventh in scoring defense this year despite being ravaged by injuries up and down the roster.
Glenn has also been requested by all five other teams with a head coaching vacancy.
Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.
