The New England Patriots are primed to potentially hire back-to-back former linebackers with the team as their head coach. After letting go of Jerod Mayo following a 4-13 campaign

Robert Kraft has already satisfied the Rooney Rule by interviewing Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich in person, meaning the Patriots are the first of the six teams with a head-coaching vacancy who can make a hire.

The Patriots are scheduled to interview former linebacker Mike Vrabel for their head coaching job on Thursday, NFL Media first reported. Vrabel, who spent 2018 to 2023 as the Titans’ head coach, is one of the top candidates in this hiring cycle and an option the Patriots were expected to pursue since firing Jerod Mayo on Sunday.