One of the NFL’s most important committees will have a New England Patriots presence this season. Head coach Mike Vrabel was recently announced as a new addition to the league’s competition committee, which is at the forefront of modifying rules.
Vrabel was added to the group earlier this month alongside Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton. This week, two more of their peers — Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell and Houston’s DeMeco Ryans — were added as well.
For Vrabel, this is not an unfamiliar position
to be in. He already served on the competition committee during his time as head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
The Patriots organization, meanwhile, has not been represented on the committee in recent history. In fact, longtime head coach Bill Belichick was a vocal critic of its workings for years, and frequently at odds with the group’s interpretation of rules and vision for the game (particularly under former co-chairman Jeff Fisher).
That battle will seemingly be a thing of the past now.
The full committee, according to the NFL, now looks as follows:
- Rich McKay (co-chairman) (Atlanta Falcons)
- Stephen Jones (co-chairman) (Dallas Cowboys)
- Katie Blackburn (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers)
- John Mara (New York Giants)
- Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
- Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings)
- Sean Payton (Denver Broncos)
- DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)
- Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots)
There are still questions remaining about the group’s composition entering 2026. Co-chairman Rich McKay, after all, left the Falcons in January and is currently not associated with any team. Still, with the NFL’s annual meeting set to take place in late March, most if not all of the committee is now set.
