The Miami Dolphins will be facing two new head coaches in the AFC East in the 2025 season: the New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel and New York Jets’ Aaron Glenn. Interestingly, both coaches are former players for the respective teams that hired them.
Vrabel spent six seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, accruing a 54-45 record. He led the Titans to three playoff appearances, two AFC South titles, and a run to the AFC Championship in 2019. He will now coach the team he won three Super Bowls with during his playing career as a linebacker.
Glenn, a former NFL cornerback, spent the last four years on Dan Campbell’s staff as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator.
After playing a major role in bringing the Lions from the bottom of the standings to championship contenders, Glenn takes over as the Jets head coach, the team he played for during the first eight years in the NFL. Glenn reportedly called the opportunity in New York his “dream job.”
While the Buffalo Bills have reigned over the AFC East in recent seasons, the Dolphins haven’t faced much of a battle for a second place. Which of these two teams with new coaches is the bigger threat of causing a paradigm shift in the near future?
The case for the Patriots
Vrabel is a proven coach who’s had success in the NFL. Vrabel’s Titans produced winning records in his first four years as a head coach until their championship window closed and the franchise entered a rebuild.
Now he’s joining a Patriots team that is a couple years into its rebuild and selected a quarterback of the future, Drake Maye, with the No. 3 selection in last year’s draft. They also have some established talent on defense including cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones, and defensive end Keion White.
The Patriots are currently projected to have the most cap space in the 2025 offseason with more than $120 million. New England has a chance to fill out its roster this offseason, giving Maye more help on offense while establishing Vrabel’s vision on defense.
New England is well set up in April too with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL draft along with a second-rounder and two thirds.
While the Patriots aren’t quite done with their rebuild, Vrabel’s experience and success as a head coach could spur a quick shift in the team’s mindset and yield a winning culture.
The case for the Jets
Glenn is taking over a Jets team that was expected to be a playoff contender last season with Aaron Rodgers returning from the Achillies tear he suffered on the opening drive of the 2023 season. Instead, the Jets finished 5-12 and fired both head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas midseason.
The good news for Glenn is he’s taking over a roster that already has elite talent on both sides of the football.
Glenn, a former star cornerback, will get to coach one of the best in the game in Sauce Gardner. The Jets also have fast rising pass rusher Will McDonald IV, who recorded 10.5 sacks in 2024, and linebacker Jamien Sherwood who was fourth in the NFL with 154 tackles. The Jets also secured three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Quinnen Williams to a deal through the 2027 season.
The Jets’ roster appears to be good enough to succeed and bringing in a coach with Glenn’s pedigree as a defensive coordinator could be the change the franchise needs to finally break through.
Prediction: Watch out for the Patriots
Even though the Jets currently have the better roster on paper, there are looming questions about the future of their key players. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t made a commitment to return in 2025. If he doesn’t, the Jets have no clear successor at quarterback. Rodgers’ decision may also impact star wide receiver Davante Adams’ future in New York.
The Jets also have multiple players nearing the end of their rookie contracts, including running back Breece Hall, receiver Garrett Wilson, and cornerback Sauce Gardner.
New York is in the bottom half of the league in cap space and is projected to have just about $20 million this offseason. This combined with the uncertainty of Rodgers’ and Adams’ future makes it hard to imagine the Jets significantly improving a roster that went 5-12 last season, unless they land impact players in the upcoming NFL draft.
New England, on the other hand, has a lot of potential to improve its roster in free agency and the draft. Adding players on offense will help Drake Maye take a step in his development in year two and further solidify him as the Patriots’ future franchise quarterback.
The Patriots wouldn’t have given up on former head coach Jerrod Mayo after one season unless they believed Vrabel’s availability was too good to pass up on. New England is bringing in an experienced head coach who’s had prior success in Tennessee.
With a head coach and quarterback in place, New England can shift its focus to free agency and the draft to build a playoff caliber roster. Considering the Patriots’ cap space and high-quality draft picks, there is a chance they could make a significant jump in the standings if their offseason decisions pan out. It would not be a surprise if New England doesn’t take look to get back to being a force in the AFC.