With a 5-2 record through seven games, the New England Patriots have been one of the top success stories in the NFL so far in the 2025 campaign. And while that may come as a surprise to some, former All-Pro defensive tackle Vince Wilfork isn’t part of that crowd.

Wilfork starred for the Pats during his 11 seasons with them, winning a pair of Super Bowls and racking up a slew of individual accolades. One guy Wilfork played alongside early in his career was Mike Vrabel, who is now New England’s head coach.

The decision to fire Jerod Mayo after one season in charge of the Patriots and replace him this past offseason was controversial, but so far, it has paid off handsomely. Having spent several seasons anchoring New England’s defense with Vrabel, Wilfork revealed that he wholeheartedly believed his former teammate would excel in his new role.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Wilfork said in an interview with RG. “I just know what Mike means to the game itself. Being able to have a team that’s going to go out and fight and do everything it possibly can to win and put themselves in a good position to win ball games. I just know what he was going to come with. It’s not surprising to me they’re looking good.”

And yet, while the Pats have looked impressive to this point, they still have a lot of football left to play this season. How Vrabel and his squad will handle the new expectations facing the team throughout the rest of the year could ultimately determine what happens over their next 10 games.

To this point, Vrabel has done a good job of getting his guys to buy into his system, and part of that involves blocking out the outside noise. The Patriots will look to continue their winning ways in Week 8 when they take on the Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.