NFL free agency and the legal tampering window are not even open yet and the New England Patriots are already getting a taste of Mike Vrabel's bad side.
The Patriots hired Vrabel to be the team's head coach earlier this offseason. Vrabel, who had a 54-45 record as a head coach with the Tennessee Titans, replaced Jerod Mayo after just one season.
It's an era of Patriots football that the fanbase can get really excited about. A proven winner and franchise legend returning to Foxborough to be the head coach with a shiny young quarterback? That sounds like the recipe for success. But even during his succesful years with the Titans, Vrabel had a real weakness for sticking with "his guys" way too long. That is already following Vrabel to the Patriots.
Patriots sign Harold Landry III
Over the weekend, the Patriots agreed to terms with free agent edge rusher Harold Landry III on a three-year,$43.5 million contract with $26 million fully guaranteed.
The Titans had given Landry permissions to seek a trade before releasing him outright on March 7th to save at least $10.9 million in cap space. But make no mistake about it, the Titans did not release Landry simply because they were strapped for cash. Landry's performance had fallen off a cliff over the last two seasons and Tennessee is desperate to upgrade at edge rusher.
Despite recording nine (9) sacks in 2024, Landry had a pass rush win rate of just 4.8 percent last season. That ranked dead last among 64 qualifying edge defenders. Going back even further and looking at Landry's last three seasons, he is in the 8th percentile (worse that 92 percent of players) according to PFF's pass-rush grades.
From what I've heard from within the Titans organization, Tennessee was incredibly disappointed by what Landry gave them in 2024. They were looking to get out of the contract by any means necessary. The belief is that the 28-year-old veteran is simply declining after his ACL surgery in 2022.
While Landry is still a sound defender against the run, he's not an impactful pass rusher at this stage in his career. Paying him $14.5 million per year with $26 million fully guaranteed is a steep overpay that I don't anticipate working out well for the Pats. But this is what Vrabel does...For better or worse, he always gets his guys. Vrabel had a really strong relationship with Landry when he coached him for six years in Tennessee.
It's not a back-breaking move by any means. The Patriots have far and away more cap space than the rest of the teams in the NFL and they might as well spend it to improve the roster. But I do think this is a warning shot for the danger that Vrabel can sometimes bring with him as the head coach of your team.
Landry's contract is bad deal for the Patriots, but hopefully it's not the first of many.
