FOXBORO — After firing Jerod Mayo as his head coach Sunday, Robert Kraft is moving quickly to find a replacement.
During a midday press conference Monday, the Patriots’ owner said the team has already extended multiple interview requests for head-coaching candidates. Kraft, team president Jonathan Kraft, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith will conduct the interviews.
Wolf and Highsmith will continue to lead the Patriots’ personnel department in 2025, Kraft confirmed. Wolf was promoted to oversee the front office less than a year ago and began instituting major changes, including an overhaul of the team’s scouting system. All of the Patriots’ coaches will remain on staff for the time being, though their jobs are not guaranteed for next season.
“We’ll wait until we bring that (next) coach in, and he obviously is gonna have big input on who the players are and who the coaches are,” Kraft said. “It’ll be his decision.”
According to a source, the Patriots have requested an interview with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, one of the most coveted candidates on the market. Johnson has never coached or played in New England, a change from past years when the Patriots filled vacancies by promoting from within or only interviewed players or coaches who spent time in their system.
“Well, we want to interview as many people as we can that we think can help us get to that position that we want to be in,” Kraft said.
Asked about the team’s interest in ex-Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who played in New England from 2001-2008 and is widely regarded as a top candidate, Kraft deflected.
“Before I make a comment like that, I don’t know all the (candidates) involved, and there are some wonderful people that we’ve heard about,” Kraft said. “So I’d rather respond to that after I’ve seen everyone.”
Vrabel is reportedly expected to interview with the Patriots, and has already interviewed for the Jets’ job. He holds a career head-coaching record of 54-45 from his six seasons in Tennessee, where he led the Titans to an AFC Championship Game one year and clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference two seasons later. Vrabel was also named the 2021 NFL Coach of the Year before finishing his tenure with back-to-back losing seasons.
Kraft said there isn’t a single quality the team is prioritizing in its search, but offered an outline of what an ideal candidate would bring.
“No, it’s really a composite. You need someone players can relate to and respond to. But (the coach) needs to have a team around them that has product knowledge, in-game adjustments, knowing what their system is. Just a lot of things coming together,” he said.
Per league rules, the Patriots cannot hire a head coach until they satisfy the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which mandates two in-person interviews with minority and/or female candidates. In-person interviews with coaches whose teams are not in the postseason cannot begin until Jan. 20. However, the Patriots can conduct in-person interviews with coaches who are either unemployed or in the college ranks any time.
Otherwise, they are limited to virtual interviews this week with coaches who are currently employed by other NFL teams. The general rule is all candidates must wait at least three days after their season ends to interview, except coaches like Johnson whose Lions are currently enjoying a first-round postseason bye. Johnson can speak with the Patriots as soon as Wednesday, and Vrabel is free to interview any time.
The Patriots fired Mayo after going 4-13 in his only season as head coach. Kraft felt the team’s situation had become “untenable” under Mayo’s leadership, though the longtime owner took responsibility for another losing season, the franchise’s fourth in five years.