Friday comes with flurry of Patriots staffing updates
The first week of the Mike Vrabel era for the New England Patriots concluded with multiple updates on the team’s staff.
Mike Vrabel’s first week as Patriots head coach was mostly quiet in terms of staffing news – until Friday. The week closed out with multiple reports about changes within the Patriots’ organizational structure at multiple levels.
Most of those reports relate to departures on the coaching staff. ESPN’s Mike Reiss named six coaches who won’t be back with the team in 2025.
In terms of positional coaches, running backs coach Taylor Embree, tight ends coach Bob Bicknell, and wide receivers coaches Tyler Hughes and Tiquan Underwood are all moving on. General defensive assistant Keith Jones and director of skills development Joe Kim also won’t be returning.
Of the positional coaches, the Patriots’ wide receivers coaches had received significant attention this offseason. The room underperformed preseason expectations, highlighted by the lack of development and impact from rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker.

The biggest surprise of the group might be the departure of Bicknell. Tight end was arguably the Patriots’ best position in 2024, and Bicknell was on the coaching staff in Kansas City when Vrabel played for the Chiefs.
Kim is the longest-tenured coach to be reported as moving on. He spent the last seven years with the Patriots, applying his martial-arts background to working with pass rushers. “I’ve had nothing but a positive experience with the Patriots,” Kim said, via Reiss. “The time is right for a new challenge.”
In his report on Twitter/X, Reiss noted that those on this list of names “are among the Patriots coaches who are moving on in 2025.” It’s possible more changes are coming, but these are simply the ones that could be confirmed at this time.
Friday also saw news regarding a change high up in the Patriots’ organizational structure. According to multiple reports, Robyn Glaser has informed the team that she plans to resign. Glaser, who according to Reiss will stay on through mid-February, joined the Patriots in 2007 as a senior adviser to ownership and club counsel. At the time of her resignation her role is executive vice president of football business, and last year she was a senior advisor to then-head coach Jerod Mayo, who was fired at the end of the season.
While Friday brought a flurry of news regarding departures, there still has been no reported interviews for incoming coaches to fill out Vrabel’s staff. Those interviews will likely start at the coordinator level, with the coordinators then helping hire positional coaches. With Vrabel’s background being on the defensive side of the ball, his offensive hires hold more interest right now. We highlighted some offensive coaches he has ties to here.