After two last-place seasons in 2023 and 2024, both of which cost the team's Head Coaches their jobs, change was afoot for the New England Patriots in the 2025 off-season. Mike Vrabel was hired by owner Robert Kraft, and in 11 months, he's totally transformed a doormat into an AFC East contender. He's also done what even Hall of Fame Coach Bill Belichick didn't do in Foxborough: have a winning first season.
Vrabel turned over a last-place roster by about 50 percent and has transformed the Patriots and made history in the process. A former NFL Coach of the Year for 2021 (and a candidate for this season), Vrabel has demonstrated both his coaching and personnel acumen as he massively revamped the roster and transformed the current version into a winner.