A top 2026 off-season priority for the Patriots' front office, while Vrabel rounds up his second batch of additions, must be to sign Gonzalez to a long-term extension. While he had an injury-plagued rookie season, his last two have shown that he not only has potential but is currently one of the best, if not the best, cornerbacks in the NFL.
The veteran wideout has already dressed up as a colonial-era minuteman, arrived shirtless amid snowfall in Foxborough, and dressed as a character from the film, "The Warriors" before the AFC title game two weekends ago. Sure enough, the veteran wideout once again got creative with his pregame outfit ahead of Super Bowl LX between the Patriots and Seahawks at Levi's Stadium.
The Patriots are ending their season in another Super Bowl, their 10th appearance in the last quarter century, and it wouldn't be proper if they weren't considered the underdogs going into the Championship matchup, this time against the Seahawks. They have consistently been counted out when they're preparing to win their next Lombardi Trophy, so it's unsurprising that they're dealing with that same fate this time around, too.
Although he became the frontrunner later in the season, Vrabel had some stiff competition in the category, most notably Liam Coen, who helped lead the Jaguars to the playoffs, and Mike Macdonald, who will be coaching the Seahawks against Vrabel in this weekend's Super Bowl. They were certainly impressive with what they accomplished, but none more than what we saw from Vrabel in his first season with the Patriots.
Of the many storylines going into Super Bowl LX, one of the more talked-about topics is undoubtedly about the New England Patriots being underdogs as they take on the Seattle Seahawks. It's not a secret - not even a little. The vast majority of NFL fans are picking the Seahawks to beat New England in this one, but that might be the one reason why the Patriots wind up winning.
"Looking back, it does feel like malpractice that one of the best coaches of the previous several years was available - it would be like Kevin Stefanski or John Harbaugh becoming available while doing a search - and not talking to those guys. That's what it was, man. He [Mike Vrabel] was out there. People were interviewing him. Washington was not one of those people. And now, two years later, he's in the Super Bowl."
May the best team win. And in terms of the Patriots, this is a new chapter in New England, and I'm glad everyone's embraced the Mike Vrabel regime, all the amazing players that have worked so hard to get their club to this position. We did it for 20 years. There was a little bit of a hiatus in there, but the Patriots are back and it's a very exciting time for everyone in New England.
When Rhamondre Stevenson went through his fumbling struggles early in the regular season, Mike Vrabel felt he had a responsibility to let the Patriots running back play his way out of those mistakes based on his previous work. In an interview with CBS Sports' Bill Cowher, Vrabel explained he had given Stevenson another chance because of the way Stevenson protected his teammates prior to the 2025 season.
