Mike Vrabel addresses release of key Patriots locker room leaders
The Mike Vrabel era in New England has been marked by a few bold decisions in the early-going, as the new Patriots head coach overhauls the roster and coaching staff. Among those eye-opening moves was the release of two longtime Patriots locker room leaders.
Vrabel made his first public comments about the release of linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley during a conversation with reporters at the NFL league meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. Monday morning. He also addressed the release of center David Andrews for the first time since the Patriots introduced their first wave of free agent signings in Foxboro.
Moving on from Andrews and Bentley signified a new era that goes beyond the football field. Both were highly respected multi-year team captains, and bring the kind of toughness and intelligence that Vrabel wants in his players. But if it wasn’t already obvious, Vrabel intends to install some new leadership for the room, and allow a fresh stable of additions to ascend.
“I think that there’s going to be opportunities for everybody at whatever they’ve been in the league, eight or nine years, or they’ve been in the league one or two years,” Vrabel said. “It’ll be some rookies. There’ll be plenty of opportunities for guys to lead and create a new identity for us and this football team moving forward.”
On Andrews, Vrabel said it was “best for our football team that we move on.” He noted the free-agent addition of veteran Garrett Bradbury, and also mentioned fourth-year pro Cole Strange as a potential candidate after working a bit at center late in the 2024 season.
Vrabel denied that he deliberately cut Andrews and Bentley, and ostensibly allowed Jonathan Jones and Deatrich Wise to leave in free agency, as part of a culture change in the Patriots locker room. But he did explain that every season is essentially a reset for every team captain to earn the distinction all over again, and past contributions don’t necessarily matter.
“I think those are all individual decisions,” Vrabel said. “The captaincy is not a four-year term. It’s not an eight-year term. It’s a year-to-year term. Every player has to prove themselves each and every day to the football team. And again, there are some veteran players that have done a lot of great things, and it was just individual decisions.
“Some of those other players went and moved on to another football team. Some, we had decisions that we made. So, this is all part of the roster construction.”
It’s not as if Vrabel completely stripped the prior leadership down to nothing. Recent team captains that remain in New England, as of Monday, are tight end Hunter Henry, safeties Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, and long snapper Joe Cardona.
Henry and Dugger were added as captains during the 2024 season amid injuries to Andrews and Bentley. Cardona, meanwhile, is the last remaining player that won a Super Bowl in the Tom Brady era. So, if Vrabel wants to close that book and truly enter a new era of Patriots football, he’ll be in the market for a new long snapper.
The Patriots made some notable free-agent signings that should have a strong chance to earn a captaincy, among them wide receiver Stefon Diggs, defensive tackle Milton Williams, edge rusher Harold Landry, and right tackle Morgan Moses. All are expected to be critical pieces on the field, so it wouldn’t be surprising for them to take on a key role off the field as well.
Whether it’s an all-new leadership group or a mix of old and new, the Patriots and their locker room are certainly going to look and feel different under Vrabel.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
