Mike Vrabel is off to the Super Bowl in his first season as the Patriots’ head coach.
It’s been a massive turnaround for New England after two straight 4-13 seasons, and in only the second year with quarterback Drake Maye at the helm. Vrabel became the Patriots’ coach over the offseason after a gap year spent consulting with the Browns following his firing by the Titans after six seasons as Tennessee’s coach. With a Super Bowl trip in Vrabel’s first season coaching New England, the Patriots become the first team in the Super Bowl era to reach the Super Bowl after hiring a new head coach and winning four games or fewer the prior season according to ESPN.
Once New England completed a wild 10-7 win in a snowy AFC championship game with the Broncos, Vrabel was understandably filled with joy:
Vrabel taking the @Patriots to #SBLX in Year 1 as head coach 🗣️ @budlight pic.twitter.com/U6HB34UtzB
— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2026
Although Vrabel isn’t the first coach to reach the Super Bowl in their first year leading their team, he’s the first to do it with a group that had such a dreadful record the year before his hiring.
How many first-year NFL head coaches have reached the Super Bowl?
According to ESPN, Vrabel is the eighth first-year coach to reach the Super Bowl, and the first to accomplish the feat since Gary Kubiak did it with the Broncos in 2015. There was even a Super Bowl matchup between two first-year coaches back in ‘02, when Jon Gruden and the Bucs took on his former team and Bill Callahan’s Raiders. Here’s a look at all other head coaches who made a trip to the Super Bowl in their first season in the role, and how they fared:
| Coach | Team | Year | Super Bowl Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Vrabel | New England Patriots | 2026 | TBD |
| Gary Kubiak | Denver Broncos | 2015 | Win |
| Jim Caldwell | Indianapolis Colts | 2009 | Loss |
| Jon Gruden | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2002 | Win |
| Bill Callahan | Oakland Raiders | 2002 | Loss |
| George Seifert | San Francisco 49ers | 1989 | Win |
| Red Miller | Denver Broncos | 1977 | Loss |
| Don McCafferty | Baltimore Colts | 1970 | Win |
Vrabel’s Patriots will take on the winner of Sunday’s NFC championship game between the Seahawks and Rams in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
- How the Seahawks Embraced the Darkness and Became Super Bowl Favorites
- Sam Darnold's Coach Had a Message for the Doubters After QB's NFC Triumph
- Full List of Rams’ 2026 Free Agents, Potential Contract Casualties, Retirement Candidates
- Old Sam Darnold Jets Memes Resurface as QB Takes Seahawks to the Super Bowl
- Cooper Kupp Shared Sweetest Moment With Matthew Stafford After Seahawks’ Win
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mike Vrabel Makes NFL History With Super Bowl Trip in First Year As Patriots Coach.
