After winning their regular-season finale over the Buffalo Bills 23-16, the New England Patriots fired Jerod Mayo, meaning they’ll be hiring a new head coach for the second offseason in a row.
New England is one of six job openings this offseason, as the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars have also moved on from their coaches.
Where does the Patriots’ vacancy rank among those currently open? CBS Sports’ Will Brinson recently put New England second just behind Chicago and listed former Tennessee Titans head coach (and Patriots linebacker) Mike Vrabel as the “best option” for the job.
That seems fair, as both teams drafted quarterbacks in the first round last year, with Chicago making Caleb Williams the first-overall pick and New England taking Drake Maye third.
There’s a lot more talent already on the Bears’ roster, as they have players like Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, D’Andre Swift, Montez Sweat, Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson signed for the 2025 season.
The Patriots may have some talented players themselves, including Christian Gonzalez and Hunter Henry, but they don’t have many more to be excited about.
However, what they do have is cap space. New England is projected to have the most in the NFL at $123.88 million (per Over the Cap) while Chicago is expected to have the fifth most with $80.14 million.
The Bears appear to have their front office system in place right now with Ryan Poles leading this, even though they could move on next year if it’s another failed season. For the Patriots, that area is a bit concerning at the moment, as owner Robert Kraft seemed to indicate that de facto general manager Eliot Wolf will be back in 2025, but there’s a chance that a new coach will blow him out.
It’s hard to imagine any of the other openings really being that close to Chicago or New England, and there are certainly arguments to make for both sides being the best.
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