New Patriots Executive Pulls Back Curtain On Joining Front Office

Mike Vrabel clearly had several follow-up moves in mind upon accepting the Patriots head-coaching job, but one transaction took precedence as his first order of business.

Almost instantly after news broke about Vrabel replacing Jerod Mayo, reports claimed Ryan Cowden was going to join New England’s front office. Cowden, who previously worked with Vrabel in Tennessee, was permitted to break free from his New York Giants contract to head to Foxboro, Mass.

Cowden already is hard at work with the Patriots, who sent a big-name contingency to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. It was there where New England’s new vice president of player personnel explained why he was motivated to leave the Meadowland and join the Patriots.

“It’s an opportunity to come help build something, help build a program back,” Cowden told Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar, as transcribed by MassLive. “Obviously, it’s a place that’s had a ton of success. It’s used to winning, and I just wanted to come and be a part of trying to get back to that. Coach is going to talk a lot about building a program that we’re proud of, that you want to protect, and that’s what I want to try and help do, and work alongside Eliot and Coach and the rest of the staff, and just do my part.”

Similar to his job with the Giants, Cowden currently is being tasked by the Patriots to build a roster that can legitimately compete with anyone in the NFL. It won’t be easy, but fortunately for Cowden and company, they have the resources to make some franchise-altering moves this offseason.