Julian Edelman gets candid over Mike Vrabel taking over Patriots after Jerod Mayo's failed stint

Mike Vrabel has returned to coaching in the NFL. The former linebacker returned home to the New England Patriots and has already started to assign his coaching staff, with Josh McDaniels becoming the key hire. He will be the offensive coordinator in New England for the third time, helping Drake Maye's development.

Vrabel's style, which demands a lot of effort and toughness from his players, might be exactly what the Patriots need after a poor year under Jerod Mayo. His teams in Tennessee were all built with a hard-nosed style, in an environment where players will always be held accountable.

Another former member of the Patriots, wide receiver Julian Edelman, spoke about how much of an improvement this leadership style will be for the franchise after the shortcomings of the previous season:

"I'm excited for this new generation of Patriots coming in now, all this stuff that you hear, keeping guys accountable, he's going to be the first to do it. He can get away with saying things to guys the way he says it, because he did it, he played it, and he's just as smart as the guys that coached him at it."

Mike Vrabel's coaching staff: which hires has the new Patriots coach made?

The new coach has already made some key hires for his staff:

Josh McDaniels will be his offensive coordinator. He'll take this role for the third time in his career, having already left twice for head coaching opportunities in the NFL. Indeed, McDaniels was the offensive coordinator during the Patriots' three most recent Super Bowl wins.

Terrell Williams has filled the defensive coordinator role. He worked under Mike Vrabel in Tennessee as the defensive line coach and spent the 2024 season with the Detroit Lions in the same role. This will be his first-ever season as a defensive coordinator.

The final coordinator will be Jeremy Springer, who will take care of the special teams. Unlike the previous two names, he was already working for the franchise as an assistant. He also spent two years working with the Rams' special teams staff and was the special teams coordinator for Arizona between 2018 and 2020.