The fact that Vrabel was available made the best choice an easy one. Kraft hasn’t run an actual coaching search since 1997 when he hired Pete Carroll. The two hires that followed — Bill Belichick in 2000 and Jerod Mayo last year — were both examples of Kraft selecting people who he already knew, liked and trusted.

After trying to move on from the Bill Belichick era, the Patriots are now going right back to a successor much more like him.

A coaching journey he needed to take, and the former star linebacker uniquely suited to put a faltering franchise back on track.