NFL Rumors: This Offseason Patriots Move ‘Stung’ NFC Team

When news broke about the Patriots’ plan to hire Mike Vrabel, there was an immediate follow-up report about another move New England intended to make.

Vrabel reunited with Ryan Cowden upon replacing Jerod Mayo in Foxboro, Mass. Cowden and Vrabel formed a bond over five seasons together in Tennessee, where the former climbed from director of player personnel to interim general manager in 2022.

Cowden, however, was with the Giants when Vrabel took the Patriots head-coaching job, and New York needed to permit the executive to get out of his contract to join New England’s front office. The G-Men did so, but the green light apparently was given begrudgingly.

“Giants general manager Joe Schoen spoke highly of Ryan Cowden, the new Patriots vice president of player personnel who served as his senior adviser the past two seasons and is a longtime friend,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote in a column published Sunday. “Schoen had been hoping to have Cowden by his side through the 2025 draft, according to league sources, so it stung a bit to have him depart for New England in January to reunite with Vrabel.”

Cowden now is working alongside Eliot Wolf and other Patriots execs, who are tasked with bolstering New England’s roster for the 2025 season and beyond. And given the Patriots’ wealth of salary cap space and arsenal of draft capital, it could be a very splashy first go-around for Cowden at One Patriot Place.

The roster-building process has already begun, but it will be kicked into a higher gear in a few weeks when the new NFL year begins.