Rob Gronkowski Gives Advice To Mike Vrabel After Getting Patriots Gig

Mike Vrabel got the job he reportedly wanted when the New England Patriots hired him as their next head coach Sunday.

But the work is just beginning for the three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots.

Vrabel will be tasked with turning around the franchise after a second straight 4-13 season and it will start with him deciding on his coaching staff. He might already be getting to work on that.

It seems Vrabel will have plenty of options available to him, especially at the offensive coordinator spot. And there’s one name Patriots great Rob Gronkowski believes should be at the top of that list for Vrabel.

“If I’m Mike Vrabel, the first thing I would do is call up and dial up the number of Josh McDaniels,” Gronkowski said on the FOX Sports pregame show. “A familiar (face) to Patriots fans and hire him as the offensive coordinator as soon as possible.”

Patriots fans sure are accustomed to McDaniels, who spent 18 seasons with the Patriots under Bill Belichick with 13 of those years coming as the team’s offensive coordinator. He was last with the Patriots in 2021 when he got representable play out of Mac Jones before a failed stint as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach.

Whether or not McDaniels follows Vrabel back New England doesn’t change Gronkowski’s viewpoint of the Patriots landing Vrabel. Gronkowski thoroughly endorsed the hiring and made it sound like the Patriots are getting a coach who is the complete opposite of Jerod Mayo.

“This guy is going to keep everyone accountable in the organization from the coaching staff to the players. He’s going to keep himself accountable and even the front office he’s going to keep accountable,” Gronkowski said. “And let me tell you once again, this guy has knowledge, he has the power and he’s going to be great. He knows how to discipline players.”