Super Bowl 2026: New England Patriots rebuild by Mike Vrabel has been historic, says Neil Reynolds
Sky Sports NFL's Neil Reynolds reflects on the return of the New England Patriots empire behind Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel; watch the Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60 live on Sky Sports NFL from 10pm on Sunday, with kickoff at 11.30pm at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara
Friday 6 February 2026 20:18, UK
There is a familiarity to the New England Patriots being back in the Super Bowl, mostly because of their complete dominance of the NFL for two decades.
Seven years have passed since Tom Brady won his last Super Bowl with the Patriots before winning another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Patriots are already back on this big stage. But we shouldn't take that for granted.
This was one of the worst teams in the NFL last year, and but for a Week 18 win against a Buffalo Bills team that was resting all of its starters, the Patriots would have had the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. So what they've done is not only remarkable, it's historic.
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There's never been a team that lost 13 games in one season and then reached the Super Bowl the next and it starts right at the very top with Robert Kraft, the team's owner.
When you've got so many players on the field and coaches that have an impact, should we really be putting the first bit of praise on a multi-billionaire who owns the team? But that's where it starts for me because Jerod Mayo was on track to be the Patriots head coach for years and years.
He gets the job, he goes 4-13 and then Mike Vrabel becomes available, the prodigal son, the three-time Super Bowl winner as a linebacker with the Patriots. And rather than miss that opportunity, Kraft acted ruthlessly, swiftly, decisively and then they gave Vrabel the tools and the pieces.
I think the Patriots knew if they didn't get Vrabel then, he's going to get another job. He's going to be somewhere else for five years, and there's another window missed. The Patriots were ruthless, but they were opportunistic, and they got their man.
It's one thing to take a team from four or five wins to win a division. To take a four-win team to the Super Bowl, it's reminiscent of when the dynasty began in New England.
They spent more money in free agency than any other team and they drafted well - they will have 13 rookies on their roster on Super Bowl Sunday. With that, they also recorded the second-most snaps by rookies in the NFL across the season.
But those weren't always the biggest headline names either. It's much like the Patriots teams of old, they are filled with a strong middle class.
There is a star in quarterback Drake Maye, but they are just a lot of good players and I think what's notable is the job that Vrabel has done in terms of building a team that cares for each other, they love each other and they play for each other and they celebrate each other. They really don't care who scores the touchdowns, who makes the plays.
So the turnaround has been quick, the turnaround appears to be sustainable with Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel at the helm and now the Patriots are going to play for the Super Bowl title which is kind of their bar every year.
Watch the Denver Broncos face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and the Los Angeles Rams against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, live on Sky Sports NFL from 7.30pm on Sunday January 25.
