New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel won't live in the past, but he won't settle either as he gets ready for the 2025 season.
He said as much during the NFL Combine on Tuesday, where he explained that a rebuild isn't acceptable in Foxboro despite back-to-back four-win seasons. Vrabel played for the Patriots as a linebacker between 2001 and 2008 and won three Super Bowls along the way before he took the head coaching job this year.
"We have to improve," Vrabel told reporters. "I think that's the goal. Our expectations aren't going to change. It's going to be to win the division. It's going to be to host home playoff games. It's going to be to compete for championships."
"We're never going to put a timetable or any sort of prediction on when that may happen," Vrabel added. "But it has to happen, and it's going to start April 7 when our guys come in."
New England has a young roster, which includes promising second-year quarterback Drake Maye, and the Patriots have a league-high $125.58 million in salary cap space plus the No. 4 pick in the draft. After the roster gets assembled, Vrabel expects to hit the ground running.
"We're going to have a program. We're going to build a foundation," Vrabel said. "We're going to give them something to believe in and be proud of."
"Hopefully they're able to hold each other accountable and to that standard," he added.
