Collaborating With Eliot Wolf? Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel Doubles Down

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel cleared the air on behalf of vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.

Vrabel was officially introduced by the organization in Foxborough on Monday, opening the door for the 49-year-old to speak for the first time. Vrabel was as transparent as possible when taking questions from reporters and amid the ongoing media tour, he re-addressed the collaborative relationship with Wolf and New England’s front office.

Without hesitation, Vrabel offered his latest candid response to the topic.

“Absolutely. Beyond comfortable,” Vrabel told WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” Tuesday. “I wouldn’t be here and I think that the conversations in the interview process and the conversations over the weekend with Eliot and with Robert and Jonathan (Kraft), and just trying to a roster together in a program. To me, that’s the biggest thing. I want to try to put a program around our coaches, our support staff, our personnel department, our players most especially, that people want to be a part of. That they’re proud of. That they invest time and energy in.”

The Patriots needed their Jerod Mayo replacement first and foremost, and now with Vrabel aboard comes the rest of New England’s offseason agenda. There are the likely departures of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, who recently interviewed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Then, of course, there’s the need to revamp the roster to assist Vrabel and 22-year-old quarterback Drake Maye after the North Carolina product’s promising rookie campaign.

New England struck out on pursuing household names such as Brandon Aiyuk, last offseason, and DeAndre Hopkins, two offseasons, ago. This time, Vrabel will get a first-hand look at the ongoing struggle to lure premier talent to Foxborough and restore the organization’s tradition as one of the league’s top title contenders. It won’t be easy, but Vrabel and Wolf are up to the challenge ahead.