The Patriots have come a long way under Mike Vrabel.
In just his first season as head coach there, Vrabel has led New England to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2018 season (the Patriots went on to win Super Bowl LIII).
On Sunday, the Patriots (14-3) will take on the Denver Broncos (14-3) in the AFC title game on the road at Empower Field at Mile High.
According to ESPN Analytics, New England has a 59.1% chance of victory against the Broncos. And with how dominant quarterback Drake Maye has been for the Patriots in the 2025 season, a trip to the Super Bowl seems to be plenty possible for New England.
With a win, Vrabel will join the elite company of seven other head coaches who have taken their teams to the Super Bowl in their first season in the role. Here’s a look at the head coaches who’ve punched a Super Bowl ticket in the first season of their tenure with the team.
Gary Kubiak, Denver Broncos
Season: 2015
highly productive offenses before his tenure with the Broncos, went 7-0 from the start of the season, making it clear that the Broncos were a powerhouse. Denver finished the regular season with a 12-4 record.
Though Peyton Manning was injured midway through the season, Brock Osweiler filled the QB1 position before Manning’s return for the playoffs and Super Bowl 50, a 24-10 Broncos win over the Panthers.
Season: 2009
After two seasons of wild-card round exits and a successful overall résumé that included a Super Bowl XLI win over the Chicago Bears, then-Colts head coach Tony Dungy retired after the 2008 season.
His replacement?
Former Penn State assistant coach Jim Caldwell, who had experience coaching under Dungy from his time as quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001. And Caldwell hit the ground running.
In his first season, Caldwell amassed a 14-0 start, which was enough to secure a bye in the wild-card round, despite the team’s two losses at the end of the regular season.
Indianapolis made statements in the divisional and conference rounds with an impressive 20-3 win against the Baltimore Ravens and a two-touchdown triumph over the New York Jets in the conference championship. However, the Colts ultimately lost Super Bowl XLV to the New Orleans Saints 31-17.
Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Season: 2002
a trade that shook the NFL after Tampa Bay sent two second-round picks and $8 million to the then-Oakland Raiders in exchange for Gruden.
After rebuilding a Raiders franchise that recorded 8-8 records in his first two seasons, and later leading the team to an AFC Championship Game (a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Ravens) and an AFC South title, Gruden made a name for himself as a head coach. Elsewhere, the Bucs finished with a 9-7 record in 2001, leading to Tony Dungy being relieved of his head coaching duties and setting up the Bucs to go after Gruden.
In his first season, Gruden led Tampa Bay to a 12-4 record.
The Bucs tore through the NFL playoffs, snatching nine interceptions, including five in a Super Bowl XXXVII win against Gruden’s former Raiders squad.
Bill Callahan, Oakland Raiders
Season: 2002
In a corresponding move to Gruden taking over in Tampa Bay, Oakland found its replacement in Callahan, who started the season 4-0, a promising sign for a Raiders group that finished the regular season 11-5. The Callahan-led Raiders cruised through the divisional and conference rounds of the playoffs before facing their former coach in Super Bowl XXXVII, who delivered a 48-21 loss to Oakland.
Season: 1989
Dallas Cowboys.
Don McCafferty, Baltimore Colts
Season: 1970
After the then-Baltimore Colts’ 1969 season, coach Don Shula parted ways with the franchise to become the head coach and vice president of the Miami Dolphins, which opened up an opportunity for McCafferty’s first head coaching gig. In his first season with the Colts, he led Baltimore to an 11-2-1 record. The Colts posted a 17-0 divisional round shutout against the Cincinnati Bengals, before a conference championship win over the Raiders to clinch a Super Bowl V berth.
With a 16-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, McCafferty would become the first head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl in their rookie season.
ESPN Research contributed to this story.
