Mike Vrabel was believed to be a candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders’ vacant head coaching job. However, he was never interviewed by the organization because he reportedly told his former teammate—and Raiders minority owner—Tom Brady that he was going to New England, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

On Sunday morning, the New England Patriots officially hired Mike Vrabel as the team’s 16th head coach. This move comes as no surprise, with the 49-year-old Vrabel having been the favorite for the role since the Patriots parted ways with Jerod Mayo the previous Sunday.

The New England Patriots announced that they have reached an agreement to hire Mike Vrabel, who won three championships with the team as a linebacker, as their next head coach.