The Patriots appear to be holding onto the worst-kept secret in the NFL.
New England interviewed Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton to begin its head coaching search. That immediately raised alarm bells as the two coaches had not been in the league since 2022 and the interviews conveniently fulfilled the league’s Rooney Rule.
That suspicion reportedly was felt at One Patriot Place as a league executive described the interviews as “unserious” to Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal. Another told the NFL insider that the Patriots “did a solid” to agents.
Along with reported scheduled interviews with Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson, New England reportedly requested an interview request with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. However, Giardi revealed there was a belief in the NFL that the reported request was a “cover your ass maneuver” by the Patriots after catching flak from the league.
“We know how sensitive Robert (Kraft) is,” a source told Giardi. “This also wouldn’t be the first time the league office told a team to slow things down, even if they end up with the same result.”
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Vrabel is believed to be the front-runner for the Patriots job, and it seems to be clear as day to everyone else around the league that New England wants the franchise Hall of Famer. Johnson seems to have a shot at the job, but Kraft won’t be let off easy by the rest of the league for his head coaching search.
Featured image via Junfu Han / Imagn Images
