Mike Vrabel sounds off on Patriots 2024 season: ‘Why the (expletive) would I care about last year?’

Mike Vrabel does not care what happened in New England last year and he is unapologetically blunt about it. The Patriots‘ new head coach is focused on getting the franchise back in playoff contention after back-to-back dismal 4-13 seasons. In the debut episode of Forged in Foxborough, the former Patriots linebacker made his stance known with trademark intensity.

“Why the f— would I care about what happened last year?” Vrabel said. “I’m worried about what’s going to go right today and tomorrow and the next day. We’re not worried about what went wrong. We’re focused on what’s going to go right.”

New England has just one playoff appearance in the past five seasons, losing in the Wild Card round in 2021. It fired Jerod Mayo after just one year, a brief and rocky tenure that marked the start of the post-Bill Belichick era.

The Patriots last won the AFC East in 2019, the final division title of a dominant two-decade run under Belichick that included six Super Bowl championships. Vrabel, who was part of three of those as a player, is now tasked with establishing a new identity while chasing the same standard.

“The overriding goal for the program that we’re going to build is going to be to win the division,” Vrabel said. “We’re building our own identity, okay?”

New England retooled its roster this offseason with several key additions, including former All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs and center Garrett Bradbury on offense, along with defensive standouts Harold Landry III, Milton Williams and Carlton Davis III. The Patriots also invested in the trenches during the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell at No. 4 overall and adding Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round.

New England hired Vrabel on Jan. 12, one week after it fired Mayo. Vrabel spent the 2024 season as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns and last served as head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2023. He led the franchise for six seasons, where he posted a 54-45 record and led the team to three playoff appearances, including an AFC Championship Game berth in 2019. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021 after guiding the Titans to a 12-5 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Consecutive losing records in his final two years in Nashville, however, led to his dismissal after the 2023 season despite his reputation as a strong leader and motivator.

Vrabel made his NFL coaching debut as a linebackers coach for the Houston Texans in 2014. He held that position for three seasons before a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2017.