{"id":29618,"date":"2025-01-27T21:52:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T21:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618"},"modified":"2025-01-27T21:52:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T21:52:09","slug":"news-both-donta-hightower-ilbs-coach-and-drew-wilkins-olbs-coach-will-not-be-retained-on-mike-vrabels-coaching-staff-for-the-2025-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618","title":{"rendered":"NEWS: Both Dont\u2019a Hightower (ILBs Coach) and Drew Wilkins (OLBs Coach) will not be retained on Mike Vrabel\u2019s coaching staff for the 2025 season"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

Hightower joined the Patriots’ coaching staff in 2024 after a lengthy playing career.<\/h2>\n
\"Dont'a
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/header>\n

The offseason changes to the Patriots\u2018 staff have continued since Mike Vrabel was named as the team\u2019s head coach. And as a few familiar faces return to New England, at least one more is set to leave.<\/p>\n

Dont\u2019a Hightower, a former Patriots linebacker who helped the team win three Super Bowls in 10 seasons, joined now ex-New England head coach Jerod Mayo\u2019s staff in 2024. But after Mayo was fired following the 4-13 season, Hightower is reportedly on his way out as well.<\/p>\n

According to MassLive\u2019s Mark Daniels, Hightower \u2014 who served as the team\u2019s inside linebackers coach \u2014 as well as outside linebackers coach Mike Wilkins, aren\u2019t going to be a part of Vrabel\u2019s staff.<\/p>\n

The reported decision comes amid the hiring of a flurry of new coaches to join Vrabel\u2019s growing staff. This has included, as Daniels pointed out, coaches who have specific experience coaching linebackers, such as former Florida A&M assistant Milton Patterson and ex-Titans inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr.<\/p>\n

Hightower, 34, was a first-round pick by Bill Belichick out of Alabama in 2012. He emerged as a defensive leader, a two-time Pro Bowler, and a player with a knack for making clutch plays (especially in the Super Bowl).<\/p>\n

As for what his future might be, Hightower could still have a long coaching career ahead of him. Wilkins had praised his fellow linebackers coach back in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think as a coach the sky\u2019s the limit for him. This guy is going to be a head coach in the NFL,\u201d Wilkins told reporters. \u201cHe\u2019s so smart. So gifted as a communicator. And [he] understands the game at such a high level, which makes sense when you realize the defenses that he\u2019s been in.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/header>\n
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
\n
\n

Boston.com Today<\/h3>\n

Sign up to receive the latest headlines in your inbox each morning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dont’a Hightower is reportedly leaving his role with the New England Patriots coaching staff after joining in 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":29620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nNEWS: Both Dont\u2019a Hightower (ILBs Coach) and Drew Wilkins (OLBs Coach) will not be retained on Mike Vrabel\u2019s coaching staff for the 2025 season - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NEWS: Both Dont\u2019a Hightower (ILBs Coach) and Drew Wilkins (OLBs Coach) will not be retained on Mike Vrabel\u2019s coaching staff for the 2025 season - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dont'a Hightower is reportedly leaving his role with the New England Patriots coaching staff after joining in 2024.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-27T21:52:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01-2025-01-28T045155.211.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsHan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsHan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618\",\"name\":\"NEWS: Both Dont\u2019a Hightower (ILBs Coach) and Drew Wilkins (OLBs Coach) will not be retained on Mike Vrabel\u2019s coaching staff for the 2025 season - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01-2025-01-28T045155.211.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-27T21:52:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-27T21:52:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01-2025-01-28T045155.211.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01-2025-01-28T045155.211.png\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NEWS: Both Dont\u2019a Hightower (ILBs Coach) and Drew Wilkins (OLBs Coach) will not be retained on Mike Vrabel\u2019s coaching staff for the 2025 season\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c\",\"name\":\"MsHan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsHan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=4\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NEWS: Both Dont\u2019a Hightower (ILBs Coach) and Drew Wilkins (OLBs Coach) will not be retained on Mike Vrabel\u2019s coaching staff for the 2025 season - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NEWS: Both Dont\u2019a Hightower (ILBs Coach) and Drew Wilkins (OLBs Coach) will not be retained on Mike Vrabel\u2019s coaching staff for the 2025 season - NEWS USA","og_description":"Dont'a Hightower is reportedly leaving his role with the New England Patriots coaching staff after joining in 2024.","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-01-27T21:52:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01-2025-01-28T045155.211.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"MsHan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsHan","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618","name":"NEWS: Both Dont\u2019a Hightower (ILBs Coach) and Drew Wilkins (OLBs Coach) will not be retained on Mike Vrabel\u2019s coaching staff for the 2025 season - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01-2025-01-28T045155.211.png","datePublished":"2025-01-27T21:52:09+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-27T21:52:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01-2025-01-28T045155.211.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01-2025-01-28T045155.211.png","width":1080,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=29618#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NEWS: Both Dont\u2019a Hightower (ILBs Coach) and Drew Wilkins (OLBs Coach) will not be retained on Mike Vrabel\u2019s coaching staff for the 2025 season"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/35ac38e63264df6afdd95f48b1a9032c","name":"MsHan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d4a99d32ed636a5ab5b74eaa73f50d4b370a29ac17d9ca8df599d578a5f53d61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsHan"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=4"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29618"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29622,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29618\/revisions\/29622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}