Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Madison Williams

Mike Vrabel Has NFSW Message for Patriots Fans Looking Back at Last Year

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks the to media during a press conference. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Mike Vrabel quickly reminded the New England Patriots and its fans that the 2025 season is a new year—there's no reason to focus on the shortcomings of last season.

In 2024, the Patriots posted a disappointing 4-13 record under coach Jerod Mayo, the first coach to take over the team after Bill Belichick moved on following 24 seasons. There were a lot of expectations on Mayo's shoulders, and he failed to make the Patriots a playoff contender. So, he was fired and the Patriots instead hired Vrabel to lead the team.

Vrabel is ready to begin on a clean slate in Foxborough.

"Why the f--- would I care about what happened last year?" Vrabel said during an episode of Forged in Foxborough. "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."

The Patriots finished last in the AFC East the past two seasons. This is something the team hadn't done from 2001-22, so Vrabel wants to bring back that success to the Patriots.

"We're building our own identity, OK?" Vrabel said. "The overriding goal for the program that we're going to build is going to be to win the division."

Like Mayo last season, Vrabel will have a lot of pressure on him this upcoming season to bring back a winning record in New England. We'll see if Vrabel can deliver.


More NFL on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mike Vrabel Has NFSW Message for Patriots Fans Looking Back at Last Year.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.