 Vrabel with theTennessee Titans in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
| New England Patriots | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Head coach | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1975-08-14)August 14, 1975 (age 50) Akron, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 261 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | Walsh Jesuit(Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Ohio State (1993–1996) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1997: 3rd round, 91st overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Linebacker, No. 96, 56, 50 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
Playing
Coaching
| |||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||||
| Regular season | 68–48 (.586) | ||||||||||||||||
| Postseason | 5–4 (.556) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career | 73–52 (.584) | ||||||||||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||||||||
Michael George Vrabel (/ˈvreɪbəl/VRAY-bəl; born August 14, 1975) is an American professionalfootball coach and formerlinebacker who is thehead coach for theNew England Patriots of theNational Football League (NFL). Vrabel previously played in the NFL for 14 seasons, most notably with the Patriots. He also served as the head coach of theTennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023.
Vrabel playedcollege football for theOhio State Buckeyes, twice receivingAll-American honors. He was selected in the third round of the1997 NFL draft by thePittsburgh Steelers, where he spent his first four seasons. Vrabel played his next eight seasons with the Patriots, earningPro Bowl and first-teamAll-Pro selections in 2007, along with winning threeSuper Bowl titles. In his final two seasons, he was a member of theKansas City Chiefs.
As the head coach of the Titans, Vrabel led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances, two consecutive division titles, and anAFC Championship Game appearance in 2019, the franchise's first since 2002. He was also namedNFL Coach of the Year in 2021 after helping the Titans obtain their conference's top seed for the first time since 2008. Vrabel was named head coach of the Patriots in 2025 and led them to an appearance inSuper Bowl LX while winning Coach of the Year a second time.
Vrabel was born on August 14, 1975, inAkron, Ohio.[1] He attendedWalsh Jesuit High School in nearbyCuyahoga Falls, where he was a standout on theirfootball team coached by Gerry Rardin.[2]
Vrabel is ofSlovak paternal ancestry - his great-grandfather Andrej Vrábel emigrated to the United States fromKrivany in present-daySlovakia.[3]
Vrabel accepted an athletic scholarship to attendThe Ohio State University and playeddefensive end from 1993 to 1996.[4] He compiled 10sacks as a sophomore, 12 as a junior, and 48 tackles and nine sacks as a senior.[5]
As a senior in 1996, Vrabel was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.[6] He finished his career at Ohio State by being named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in both 1995 and 1996, becoming the first of two players to ever win the award twice (Wendell Bryant of Wisconsin being the other). Vrabel accumulated 36 sacks and 66 tackles for a loss.[7]
Vrabel was named to theOhio State Football All-Century Team in 2000, and was inducted into theOhio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.[8]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+1⁄8 in (1.93 m) | 270 lb (122 kg) | 34+1⁄4 in (0.87 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.93 s | 1.70 s | 2.88 s | 4.43 s | 7.77 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) | 23 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Vrabel was selected by thePittsburgh Steelers in the third round (91st overall) of the1997 NFL draft.[11] He spent the first four seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. Vrabel's most notable play as a Steeler came in his rookie season afterstrip-sackingDrew Bledsoe in the1997–98 AFC Divisional Playoffs to clinch a 7–6 victory for the Steelers and advance them to theAFC Championship Game.[12] Vrabel had 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 1998; nine tackles and two sacks in 1999; and 15 tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery in 2000.
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Vrabel joined theNew England Patriots as a free agent in 2001.[13] He played in every game on defense, starting in 12. Vrabel would remain a regular starter on defense during his eight-year tenure in New England.
During his first four seasons with the Patriots, Vrabel's primary position was right outside linebacker in thePatriots' 3–4 scheme. In 2005, because of the limited effectiveness of inside backersMonty Beisel andChad Brown, Vrabel moved to inside linebacker although he had never before played inside in the NFL.Rosevelt Colvin successfully filled Vrabel's old spot, and many cite the change in positions as a major contributor to the Patriots' rebound in the second half of the season. Vrabel moved inside again late in the 2006 season afterJunior Seau suffered a broken arm.[14]
Vrabel's best season with the team was in 2007, when he was selected as aPro Bowl starter and named to the NFLAll-Pro team.[15] In Week 8 of that season, Vrabel forced three fumbles, had three sacks, recovered anonside kick, and scored an offensive touchdown against theWashington Redskins, and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[16]
Vrabel would occasionally come in as an eligible receiver, lining up as atight end. Head coachBill Belichick took advantage of this in 2004 inSuper Bowl XXXVIII. In the fourth quarter,Tom Brady threw a one-yardtouchdown pass to Vrabel, making Vrabel the first defensive player to score a Super Bowl touchdown on offense sinceWilliam "Refrigerator" Perry did so for theChicago Bears inSuper Bowl XX in 1986 (against the Patriots).[17] Vrabel was one of the defensive stars of the game as well, with two sacks and a forced fumble.[18] The next year, inSuper Bowl XXXIX in 2005, Vrabel again caught a two-yard touchdown pass despite being held by theEagles'Jevon Kearse, a feat pictured on the cover of the2005 NFL Record and Fact Book.[19] The reception made him one of 17 players to catch two or more touchdown passes in Super Bowls.[20]
Across the regular season and playoffs, Vrabel finished with 12 career receptions in just 16 targets, all for touchdowns.[13] He caught one in 2002, two in 2004, three in 2005, and two in 2007 in the regular season, and one each in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX, all with the Patriots, and one each in 2009 and 2010 with the Chiefs (thrown by former PatriotMatt Cassel). On December 26, 2005, on the finalMonday Night Football game on ABC, Vrabel became, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the first player to have two touchdown catches and a sack in the same game since sacks began to be recorded officially in 1982.[21] In addition to his 12 touchdowns on offense, Vrabel recorded his only career defensive touchdown on an interception return in the 2005 season.[22] In 2007,NFL Network ranked him seventh on their Top 10 list of Most Versatile Players.[23]
On February 27, 2009, the Patriots traded Vrabel to theKansas City Chiefs for what was originally announced as an undisclosed draft pick.[24] The next day, it was revealed that Patriots traded both Vrabel andMatt Cassel in exchange for the Chiefs' second round pick, the 34th overall selection in the2009 NFL draft.[25] Vrabel played in Kansas City for two seasons as a starter before retiring.[26]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | Receiving | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | ||
| 1997 | PIT | 15 | 0 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | PIT | 11 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | PIT | 10 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | PIT | 15 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | NE | 16 | 12 | 63 | 40 | 23 | 3.0 | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | NE | 16 | 13 | 82 | 58 | 24 | 4.5 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | NE | 13 | 9 | 52 | 37 | 15 | 9.5 | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | NE | 16 | 15 | 71 | 54 | 17 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2005 | NE | 16 | 16 | 108 | 73 | 35 | 4.5 | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 24T | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 2006 | NE | 16 | 16 | 89 | 54 | 35 | 4.5 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | NE | 16 | 15 | 77 | 55 | 22 | 12.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2008 | NE | 16 | 14 | 62 | 40 | 22 | 4.0 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | KC | 14 | 14 | 52 | 43 | 9 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010 | KC | 16 | 16 | 48 | 30 | 18 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Career[27] | 206 | 140 | 740 | 511 | 229 | 58.0 | 11 | 73 | 6.7 | 24T | 1 | 41 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 10 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | Receiving | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | ||
| 1997 | PIT | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | NE | 3 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | NE | 3 | 3 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2004 | NE | 3 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2005 | NE | 2 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | NE | 3 | 3 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | NE | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | KC | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career[28] | 20 | 18 | 88 | 60 | 28 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
Vrabel retired on July 10, 2011, to become the linebackers coach at Ohio State.[29] On December 21, new Ohio State head coachUrban Meyer decided to keep Vrabel on as part of his coaching staff as defensive line coach.[30]
On January 10, 2014, Vrabel was hired by theHouston Texans as a linebackers coach.[31] During his three seasons as linebackers coach, the Texans ranked third in the NFL in yards allowed per game.[32] In January 2016, news outlets reported that theSan Francisco 49ers offered Vrabel their defensive coordinator job, but he declined the offer and stayed in Houston.[33] In January 2017, the Texans named Vrabel as their defensive coordinator after the team moved previous coordinatorRomeo Crennel to assistant head coach.[34] Vrabel coached players such asJ. J. Watt,Jadeveon Clowney,Whitney Mercilus, andBenardrick McKinney during his tenure in Houston.[32]
On January 20, 2018, Vrabel was hired as the head coach of theTennessee Titans on a five-year deal.[35][36]
During Week 2 against theHouston Texans, Vrabel earned his first career win as a head coach as the Titans won by a score of 20–17.[37] Two weeks later, Vrabel led the Titans to a 26–23 overtime victory over the defending Super Bowl championPhiladelphia Eagles.[38] During Week 10, he beat his former longtime coachBill Belichick and theNew England Patriots in a 34–10 victory.[39]
Under Vrabel, the Titans' defense improved from the 13th-ranked defense in 2017 to the eighth-ranked defense in 2018.[32] However, the team narrowly missed the playoffs by one game and finished the season with a 9–7 record.[40]
The2019 season saw the Titans again finish 9–7; however, this would be enough to make the playoffs as the #6-seed.[41] During a Week 6 16–0 shutout road loss to theDenver Broncos, Vrabel elected to bench quarterbackMarcus Mariota in favor ofRyan Tannehill, a move that led to the Titans winning seven of their final 10 games despite starting 2–4.[42]
During theWild Card Round, Tennessee upset thedefending Super Bowl champion Patriots on the road 20–13, led by running backDerrick Henry's 204 yards from scrimmage.[43] The Titans then pulled off another upset in theDivisional Round against the #1-seedBaltimore Ravens, winning on the road 28–12 behind another breakout performance from Henry with 202 scrimmage yards along with a passing touchdown on a trick play.[44] With the victory, the Titans advanced to their firstAFC Championship since2002, where they were eliminated on the road by the eventualSuper Bowl LIV championKansas City Chiefs 35–24.[45]
Titans defensive coordinatorDean Pees retired on January 20, 2020, after spending the last two seasons with the team.[46] Vrabel decided not to hire a defensive coordinator for the season.[47]
After starting the season 5–0, their first since2008, the Titans finished with an 11–5 record, improving upon their 9–7 record from the previous four years and earning their first double-digit winning season and division title since 2008.[48][49] However, the Titans lost to the Ravens 20–13 in theWild Card Round.[50] Following the loss, Vrabel revealed that outside linebackers coachShane Bowen was the defensive coordinator in all but the title and that Bowen made the defensive play calls.[51]
The Titans dealt with numerous injuries throughout the season, but were able to overcome all of them en route to a 12–5 record, a division title, and the #1-seed in theAFC.[52] The team fielded 91 players during the season (mostly due to injury and COVID-19), breaking the old NFL record of 84 held by the2019 Miami Dolphins and2020 San Francisco 49ers.[53]
With the division title, Vrabel helped the Titans clinch the AFC South for the second consecutive season. This would be the first time since1960–1962 that the franchise would win their division in back-to-back seasons. However, the season ended with a 19–16 upset loss in the Divisional Round to the eventual AFC championCincinnati Bengals, their third-straight playoff loss dating back three seasons.[54] For his work that season, Vrabel was named AP Coach of the Year.[55]
On February 8, 2022, Vrabel and general managerJon Robinson were given contract extensions.[56]
The Titans began the season with a 7–3 record, putting them in a prime position to secure a playoff spot.[57] However, the team lost seven straight games and ended up missing the playoffs, finishing with a 7–10 record.[58]
After the Titans finished the 2023 season with a 6–11 record,[59] Vrabel was fired on January 9, 2024.[60] He finished his tenure in Tennessee with a 54–45 (.545) regular-season record and a 2–3 (.400) playoff record for a combined record of 56–48 (.538).[61]
After not landing a coordinator or head coaching job in the offseason, Vrabel signed a one-year contract with theCleveland Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant on March 15, 2024.[62][63]
On January 12, 2025, Vrabel was hired as the head coach of theNew England Patriots, replacingJerod Mayo.[64] In a November postgame interview, Vrabel cited his familiarity with the franchise and quarterbackDrake Maye's potential as reasons for returning as coach.[65]
Vrabel led the Patriots to a 14–3 record, giving the team its first playoff berth since 2021, its first AFC East title since 2019, and its best record since 2016.[66][67][68][69] By Week 11, the Patriots were 9–2, surpassing their combined win total for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. They won 10 games in a row, making Vrabel the first (and only) head coach since theAFL–NFL merger to do so in his first season with a team that won no more than five games the previous season.[70]
During theWild Card Round, the Patriots defeated theLos Angeles Chargers 16–3, advancing to theDivisional Round. It was their first playoff win since 2018.[71] Vrabel also earned his second trip to the AFC Championship Game as a coach, and his first since a 2019 loss with the Titans, after defeating theHouston Texans 28–16.[72] During theAFC Championship Game, the Patriots defeated theDenver Broncos on the road 10–7, advancing toSuper Bowl LX.[73] Vrabel became the eighth head coach to reach the Super Bowl in their first season, and the second person to reach the Super Bowl as a player and as a coach, after onlyGary Kubiak.[74] Vrabel was named AP Coach of the Year for his work in 2025.[75] However, Vrabel couldn’t finish off his strong year with a Super Bowl win.[76]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| TEN | 2018 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3rd in AFC South | — | — | — | — |
| TEN | 2019 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC South | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost toKansas City Chiefs inAFC Championship Game |
| TEN | 2020 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in AFC South | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toBaltimore Ravens inAFC Wild Card Round |
| TEN | 2021 | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 1st in AFC South | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toCincinnati Bengals inAFC Divisional Round |
| TEN | 2022 | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2nd in AFC South | — | — | — | — |
| TEN | 2023 | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 4th in AFC South | — | — | — | — |
| TEN total | 54 | 45 | 0 | .545 | 2 | 3 | .400 | |||
| NE | 2025 | 14 | 3 | 0 | .824 | 1st in AFC East | 3 | 1 | .750 | Lost toSeattle Seahawks inSuper Bowl LX |
| NE total | 14 | 3 | 0 | .824 | 3 | 1 | .750 | |||
| Total | 68 | 48 | 0 | .586 | 5 | 4 | .556 | |||
Vrabel and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons,Tyler and Carter.[77] Tyler started on the offensive line for theBoston College Eagles football team for three years and declared himself for the2022 NFL draft.[78] Undrafted, Tyler was signed by theAtlanta Falcons in the 2022 preseason.[79] Carter played baseball atVolunteer State Community College for two seasons before transferring toTennessee Tech for his final year.[80]
Vrabel founded the "Mike's Second and Seven Foundation" with his former Ohio State teammates Ryan Miller andLuke Fickell to promote literacy in the central Ohio area.[81]
In March 2011, Vrabel was arrested and charged with a Class D felony for theft atBelterra Casino Resort & Spa. According to reports from Kansas City television station KMBC and ProFootballTalk.com, the incident involved eight bottles of beer at a deli. Vrabel was released after posting a $600 bond.[82]
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