Mike Vrabel To Patriots? Defender Weighs In On Top Coaching Candidate

FOXBORO, Mass. — Davon Godchaux saw the reports tying Mike Vrabel to the Patriots, but the veteran defender says that’s above his pay grade.

“I don’t control none of that,” Godchaux told NESN.com inside the Patriots locker room on Monday. “That’s the higher-ups and the people who get paid the big bucks to make those decisions. If it’s him that comes here, whoever, that’s the decision they going to make. They don’t call on me to make those decisions so I have no input on that.”

Vrabel, who reportedly was scheduled to interview in Foxboro, Mass. on Thursday, is viewed as the top coaching candidate this offseason. The Patriots Hall of Famer and former Tennessee Titans head coach was linked to New England even before the organization fired Jerod Mayo after one disastrous season.

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Reports continue to paint Vrabel as the front-runner for the job.

Vrabel has also interviewed with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears. But Godchaux believes Vrabel and other candidates should view New England as the best job available. Drake Maye is a big reason why.

“The coaches of the guys with no quarterbacks? The rookies? Absolutely,” Godchaux said. “And that’s no shot at none of the other guys. But just what I’ve seen so far from Drake, absolutely. Absolutely.”

Should the Patriots want to hire Vrabel, they can do so at any time. New England satisfied the Rooney Rule on Tuesday by interviewing Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton, two coaches who have been out of the league in recent years and are not serious contenders for the top job.

The Patriots have an interview scheduled with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on Friday morning, and have requested an interview with Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.