NFL Insider: Employed Coaches Wanted to Become Patriots' HC Before Mike Vrabel Hiring

Before the New England Patriots landed on Mike Vrabel to be their new head coach, they apparently could have had their pick of virtually any candidate they wanted because of how appealing the job is right now.

On the latest episode of the Scoop City podcast (starts at 25:35 mark), The Athletic's Dianna Russini said the Patriots' job was ranked as the best available this offseason by people around the NFL and multiple head coaches who are already employed by other teams said they would have liked the gig.

The Patriots didn't exactly conduct an exhaustive search before hiring Vrabel. They interviewed four different candidates plus had a fifth interview declined by Aaron Glenn.

As soon as Jerod Mayo was fired, it became apparent Vrabel was going to be the top choice as long as he wanted the job. He was a key member of the first half of their dynasty, winning three Super Bowls in eight seasons as a linebacker in New England from 2001 to '08.

Vrabel also had a good resume as a head coach with the Tennessee Titans. He compiled a 54-45 record and three playoff appearances in six seasons from 2018 to '23.

The two biggest selling points for New England right now are Drake Maye and cap space. Maye didn't have eye-popping stats with 2,276 passing yards, 421 rushing yards, 15 passing touchdowns and a 66.6 completion percentage, but the lack of talent around him makes those numbers look significantly better.

That roster could dramatically improve over the course of a single offseason because the Patriots have $124.9 million in cap space. No one else in the NFL has more than $92.9 million available.

You could argue the Patriots' three biggest needs are wide receiver, offensive tackle and interior offensive line. They could hypothetically sign impending free agents Tee Higgins, Trey Smith and Ronnie Stanley to boost all three spots and still have roughly $50 million to play with.

By the way, they also have the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft to fill one of those needs.

Combine an extremely talented young quarterback on a rookie contract with a team that has, by far, the most cap space in the NFL, it's not hard to see why so many coaches would relish the opportunity to be in Vrabel's shoes.