Patriots Fans Celebrate Mike Vrabel's HC Contract; NFL Legend Won 3 Super Bowls

It's never too late to come home.

The New England Patriots announced Sunday they are making Mike Vrabel their next head coach with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting it will be a multi-year contract. Vrabel played eight seasons for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008 and helped the franchise win three Super Bowls as a linebacker.

Now he will look to do the same as a head coach.

Naturally, his hiring led to plenty of reaction on social media:

This is anything but a surprise given Vrabel's history with the organization and his status as one of the top candidates in this year's coaching cycle. As soon as the Patriots fired head coach Jerod Mayo, it was easy to speculate the three-time Super Bowl champion would return.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported Saturday that Vrabel was the "overwhelming favorite" for the position, and there is now no more remaining drama about who will take over in New England.

It won't be an easy turnaround, as the AFC East team is coming off two consecutive 4-13 campaigns and last-place finishes in the division. Catching up to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will be anything but straightforward even with a proven coach leading the way.

Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans for six seasons from 2018 through 2023 and helped lead the team to three consecutive postseason appearances during that tenure.

Tennessee also reached the AFC Championship Game during the 2019 campaign with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, suggesting Vrabel, who went 54-45 with the Titans, can win without one of the league's absolute best under center.

Quarterback is one reason for optimism in New England, as rookie Drake Maye was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season.

The No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 421 yards and two scores on the ground as a runner and showed flashes of his upside throughout his 13 games.

It will be up to Vrabel to turn that upside into wins as he takes over as head coach of his former team.