According to Jeff Howe, Mike Vrabel has “quality” assistant coaches lined up to join his staff if he is brought in as New England’s new Head Coach.

The former Patriots linebacker has been interested in the opportunity to become the team’s head coach in recent weeks.

The head coach position for the New England Patriots isn’t open. Ownership has said it’s not going to be. But that hasn’t stopped the rumors from swirling about Mike Vrabel potentially taking the job.

With Jerod Mayo facing heavy criticism for how his first season as head coach has gone, there are serious questions about whether Patriots ownership will move on from their hand-picked successor. That and plenty of backlash from fans who are unhappy with the team’s 3-13 record.

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When ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano rooted through the buzz around the coaching carousel, it didn’t take long for them to connect Vrabel to the job in Foxborough.

Fowler said Vrabel “would be a natural fit” to take the job if it comes open. Graziano went into more detail, saying Vrabel “makes a lot of sense,” as a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame who could rebuild the culture and roster around Drake Maye.

“Again, I’m not saying Mayo can’t do that,” Graziano wrote. “It’s possible he can, and it’s possible Patriots ownership will decide to stick with the guy it believed in enough to make him coach-in-waiting while Belichick was still there. All I’m saying is if the job comes open, Vrabel would have to be at the top of the list of predicted hires.”

Vrabel is officially back on the market after his contract with the Cleveland Brown expired. After missing out on a head coaching job this past season, Vrabel spent the past season working as a coaching consultant in Cleveland.

The 49-year-old Vrabel is one of the best-known names on the coaching market. A three-time Super Bowl champ as a Patriots linebacker, Vrabel quickly rose through the coaching ranks.

In 2018, he was hired by the Tennessee Titans for his first and only head coaching job so far. Vrabel went 54-45 over six seasons in Tennesse.

Named the NFL Coach of the Year in 2021, he took the Titans to the playoffs three times, posting a 2-3 postseason record.