Mike Vrabel is back in Foxborough.
The Patriots announced Sunday that they’ve hired the former linebacker as their next head coach, bringing the franchise Hall of Famer back into the fold to lead the team’s rebuild.
As his coaching career in New England begins, let’s take a look back at his playing days, when Vrabel helped anchor a defense at the heart of the Patriots’ most successful era.
March 12, 2001: Vrabel signs — Vrabel’s playing career started not in Foxborough but in Pittsburgh, where the linebacker was a third-round pick out of Ohio State in 1997.