Mike Vrabel Firing Speculation Is Cooling Down

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel appears to be a bit more secure in his job than he was earlier in the offseason.

Vrabel, whose Patriots finished as Super Bowl runners up last season, was at the center of the NFL’s biggest offseason controversy throughout late winter and much of spring. In March, Vrabel was photographed holding hands at an adults-only resort in Sedona alongside NFL Insider Dianna Russini. In early April the photos were published by the New York Post’s Page Six.

The photos included coach and Insider holding hands and hugging. No other people were present in the pictures and both Russini, 43, and Vrabel, 50, are married with kids. Vrabel and Russini denied any wrongdoing or an affair.

Soon, Russini was being investigated by her employer, The Athletic, and she eventually resigned from her position but without admitting to any wrongdoing. Then, days before April’s NFL Draft, Page Six released additional photos of Vrabel and Russini looking very much like a couple, even kissing. The photos were from years earlier – 2020 – in a New York City bar.

These photos promoted Vrabel to step away from the team for the final day of the NFL Draft and enter counseling. Eventually, photos of a pregnant Russini and Vrabel renting a private boat together in spring 2021 also came to light.

Though neither Vrabel nor Russini have publicly confirmed their affair, the entire situation served as a distraction for a Patriots team that had been riding hire after Vrabel’s first year at the helm. Speculation persisted that Vrabel would be fired because of his perceived transgressions off the field, especially considering Russini regularly covered the team.

Odds of a Vrabel firing became a hot topic among bettors on Polymarket and by late April, the chances of the coach being shown the door was trading at a 40% likelihood. Despite plenty of bad press and radio silence on Russini’s end, the potential of a Vrabel firing has cratered on Polymarket.  As of this week, a Vrabel ouster by December 31, 2026 is trading at just 11%.

New England officially opened training camp on July 24 and Vrabel was present and even spoke to media members over the weekend. He did not further address the Russini situation.

For now at least, it seems like business as usual in Foxboro.

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