The New England Patriots are trying to move on after the departures of NFL legends Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. 2024 was New England’s first season without either, and things didn’t exactly go according to plan.
Under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, the Patriots went 4-13, finishing last in the AFC East and missing the playoffs. While rookie quarterback Drake Maye showed flashes, the franchise ultimately felt it’d need a more veteran voice to get the most out of its young quarterback.
Mayo was fired after the season, a move Patriots owner Robert Kraft called one of the hardest decisions he’d ever had to make. After a coaching search, New England decided to bring back a voice from the Brady-Belichick era.
Mike Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots as a player, was hired as the next coach. Now, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who is emerging as one of the premier players at his position in the league and spent his rookie season under Belichick, is speaking about what he’s excited about moving forward with a head coach from the Patriots’ glory days.
“I would say the building got a little more lax. I mean, that might have hurt us,” Gonzalez said according to Pro Football Talk. “I would probably say it got a little more lax.
“It was tough [this season], but honestly I was looking more of it as just going out there and having fun,” Gonzalez said. “I got hurt my rookie year, and just playing the whole year was great for me and having fun.
“Obviously, you want to win. That’s the main goal. But we were in a lot of close games. I think we had seven one-score games. So, we’re not far off.”
Gonzalez revealed that he hasn’t met Vrabel yet but is pretty sure he knows what to expect.
“I know he’s a Patriot, in the Patriot Hall of Fame. They talk good about him,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve heard it’s going back to what they call the ‘Patriot Way.’ For sure, I’m ready.”
It’ll be interesting to see how quickly Vrabel can bring a winning culture back to the East Coast.
