3 Coaches Emerging As Potential 'Replacements' For Mike Vrabel

The Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini scandal isn't going away.

Wednesday night, TMZ Sports reported that in 2021, Vrabel and Russini rented a boat in Tennessee together. They were reportedly the only two people on the boat. Russini, who is married, was pregnant at the time. Vrabel is also married, with two children.

There's growing talk that, eventually, Vrabel will have to leave the Patriots because of the scandal. His odds of not being the Patriots coach in Week 1 increased by more than 10 percent on Kalshi, the futures market, on Wednesday evening.

"News moves markets. Specifically, prediction markets. Five days ago, Kalshi had Mike Vrabel as having a 77-percent chance to be the coach of the Patriots as of Week 1. As of this posting, the number has plummeted to 64 percent," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio shared.

If Vrabel were to step away, or be ousted, as the head coach of the Patriots, who would New England target to replace him?

Three coaches have emerged as potential replacements for the second-year Patriots head coach.

3 names to watch in New England

The first - and biggest - name is Mike Tomlin. The former Steelers head coach, who recently joined NBC's "Football Night in America," has been linked to the Patriots job. Those in New England are reportedly fond of him.

A Patriots insider told Daily Mail reporters Russ Weakland and Ben Nagle that the franchise will eye Mike Tomlin to replace Mike Vrabel, if something ends up happening. Patriots ownership still doesn't want to fire Vrabel, but eventually, their hands might be forced.

Tomlin, meanwhile, seems happy at NBC. However, the lure of a big job in New England could be interesting.

"It's probably not an overnight decision," Tomlin said of his decision to leave Pittsburgh. "But it's probably not something that I could articulate or share with people. There's a loneliness with leadership. I just thought it was a good time for me personally."

The second name to watch is Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels is probably the most-likely hire if something happens to Vrabel. He's already on the coaching staff and he has head coaching experience. McDaniels wasn't a very good NFL head coach, but he could serve as an interim coach, if Vrabel chooses to step away to be with his family and address the scandal.

McDaniels could keep things going with the Patriots' offense, which is quite important as Drake Maye heads into Year 3.

Finally, if the Patriots want to go with an outside hire that isn't Mike Tomlin, former Bills head coach Sean McDermott could be a familiar name.

McDermott was ousted by the Bills following a disappointing playoff loss. However, he still had a lot of success in Buffalo. And he has a ton of familiarity with the AFC East Division.

The former Bills head coach has been doing some media appearances, but he hasn't landed a new football job.

That could change if something happens with Vrabel.

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Who do you see New England going after?

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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 9:39 AM.