Drake Maye Reveals How Mike Vrabel Is Motivating Patriots For Super Bowl

Unlike most NFL head coaches, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel knows what it actually feels like to play in and win a Super Bowl.

Vrabel appeared in four Super Bowls as a player and won three — all with the Patriots. That gives him a leg up over Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald — who never played in the NFL — as they prepare their players this week for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara.

Vrabel is one of the only people in New England’s locker room with Super Bowl experience. That’s made him a valuable resource for his young players as they get ready for the biggest game of their lives. He knows first-hand the pressure and emotions they’re feeling.

“He does a great job of relating to us, being able to talk as a player and now as a coach of his experience winning Super Bowls, his experience making the playoffs his first year with the Steelers,” Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said last week.

Drake Maye on Mike Vrabel as a motivational speaker: "He does a great job of relating to us. Being able to talk as a player and now a coach."

— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) January 29, 2026

Vrabel also knows what it’s like to be the underdog, which New England is this week. The Patriots were massive underdogs against the St. Louis Rams heading into Super Bowl XXXVI 24 years ago, but that didn’t stop Vrabel and his teammates from upsetting “The Greatest Show on Turf.”

Now, against all odds, Vrabel’s back in the Super Bowl for the first time as a head coach. If he wins, he’ll become the first person in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as a player and a coach for the same franchise.

“I remember we talked about in the beginning of the season, our stories and what kind of hopes we had. Our hopes were to win the big game and win the Super Bowl, and look where we’re at now, and those hopes are coming to a reality,” Maye said. “That’s one of the coolest things I heard from him this morning, him relaying that to us, what we dreamed of as a little kid, wanting to watch the Super Bowl at a Super Bowl party, and now we’re the party. Coach does a great job of relating to us and relaying a message that hits home to all of us.”