Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Breaks Silence on Trades Before NFL Deadline
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots looks on during the third quarter in the game against the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
For the Patriots, the dual deals the team pulled off on Tuesday, a week ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline, were months in the making. It was clear that the team was not going to make significant use of safety Kyle Dugger, but only wanted to find a way to get off of his future money, and that Keion White‘s straight-ahead style of pass rushing didn’t fit the defense, either.
And so both were moved for minimal future value, both bringing back sixth-round picks with seventh-rounders going out–but more on those details in a bit.
On Wednesday, coach Mike Vrabel addressed for the first time the departure of two players who had, as recently as a year ago, been starters and stalwarts for the Patriots defense.
Mike Vrabel: Trades Were ‘The Right Thing to Do’
Speaking at his press conference, Vrabel was eager to not throw either Dugger or White under the proverbial bus, but wanted to move ahead to the Falcons.
Asked about White, Vrabel said, “I think that with just the timing of everything and where we’re at as a team, we felt like it was the right thing to do. We’ve got a lot of guys in that room, and we just felt like at this particular time, to make those moves that we made with him and Kyle [Dugger].
“Really going to make our focus here against the Falcons, a team that we don’t know much about, haven’t played in four or five years. So, we wish Keion the best, wish Kyle the best, appreciate their professionalism and added some other guys here to the roster, too.”
Patriots Save Money, May Save Pick in Trades
As for the details of the deal, one of the big aspects for the Patriots was to get out of owing future money to Dugger, which they accomplished because of the structure of the trade. Dugger was in the second year of the four-year, $58 million contract he signed last season, and the Patriots agreed to pay the remainder of his 2025 salary ($5.4 million), while the final two years of his contract were voided.
In the White trade, the seventh-rounder that the Patriots are scheduled to send to San Francisco is conditional. New England can hold onto that pick if White stays healthy and keeps playing this season.
“The 7th-round pick going back to San Francisco is conditional: If Keion White is active for 7 games, New England keeps its 7th and then would own 11 picks. Building for now and the future,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network wrote on X.
Patriots Happy to Give Marcus Jones Big New Deal
The other major transaction on what was a busy Tuesday was the signing of cornerback/return man Marcus Jones to a $36 million extension.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about and wanted to – I think he embodies everything that we’re looking for here in a player, in a teammate, on the field, in the community,” Vrabel said. “It’s something that we were excited about doing and glad that he wanted to get that done and be with us moving forward.”
Aaron Rodgers Drops Jaw-Dropping Truth About Brian Flores’ Shocking NFL Future After Steelers Stint: What’s Next for the Legendary Coach?
Veteran defensive assistant Brian Flores has regained his great reputation around the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers helped Flores do that in his lone season as the organization’s linebackers and senior defensive assistant.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn’t on that team. However, it’s clear the 41-year-old has a lot of respect for the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator.
So much respect, in fact, that Rodgers suggested it won’t be long before Flores is overqualified for his current gig.
“He’s a phenomenal coach,” Rodgers told reporters Wednesday.”He was here a few years ago.
“It’s good to see him in a position of leadership. I feel like he probably should, at some point, get another [head] coaching job based on the way that he’s coached defense last couple years.
“The schemes they run and the way they’re coached, there’s a lot of really good chemistry and continuity on that side that doesn’t just come from from players. There’s a schematic part of that. It’s really impressive.”
Rodgers and the Steelers offense will have to overcome the Vikings defensive chemistry and continuity Sunday. The two teams will meet in Dublin, Ireland at 9:30 am ET.
Brian Flores’ Previous Record as NFL Head Coach
What Rodgers said wasn’t controversial. Although it was complimentary, it’s rather standard for players to rave about upcoming opponents.
Three years ago, though, that would have been a different story. The Miami Dolphins fired Flores following the 2021 campaign, and the former head coach was unable to land another head coaching role.
Flores went 24-25 as the Dolphins head coach. While that mark isn’t overly impressive, he arguably led the team to an overachieving record in each of his first two seasons.
The Dolphins fired Flores despite two straight winning season to end his tenure. Miami moved on from Flores even though the coach led the franchise to at least nine games in back-to-back campaigns for the first time in nearly two decades.
“By all accounts, Flores and the 2019 Dolphins were set up for failure. That was the infamous “Tank for Tua” year that saw Miami trade several notable starters that included Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Kenyan Drake. Not surprisingly, the Dolphins started 0-7 and were being compared to some of the worst teams in NFL history,” wrote CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo.
“Miami, however, showed considerable resolve by winning five of its final nine times that included consecutive wins over Cincinnati in New England to close out the season.”
After the Dolphins fired Flores, the former head coach filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL, Miami, and other teams in the league, alleging racial discrimination. Due to the lawsuit, it was unclear if Flores would get any job in the league again.
But he did immediately on Tomlin’s staff in Pittsburgh. That led to Flores earning the defensive coordinator role with the Vikings a year later.
Over the past three seasons, he has experienced a career revival in Minnesota.
Rodgers Looking for Better Performance vs. Flores Defense
In the early part of free agency, a lot of pundits projected Rodgers to join Flores and the Vikings. Instead, the veteran quarterback will be looking for a much better performance vs. the team than he had last year.
Ironically, Rodgers faced Flores and the Vikings in Europe during the 2024 campaign just as he will this Sunday. With the New York Jets, Rodgers struggled against Flores’s unit, completing only 29 of 54 passes for 244 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Rodgers posted a 53.7% completion percentage and only 4.5 yards per pass in the matchup.
That was arguably the turning point for Rodgers with the Jets last year. The loss to the Vikings in Week 5 dropped New York to 2-3. The team fired head coach Robert Salah after the defeat. New York then finished the season going 3-9 in their final 12 games.
Rodgers and the Steelers are 2-1 despite two below average offensive performances the past two weeks. But if the quarterback can be better this time against Flores, then Rodgers could have the opportunity to use the Vikings matchup as a turning point for the better in 2025.
