Patriots Reportedly Already Have Replacement In Mind If Mike Vrabel Steps Down originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is currently caught in the middle of a cheating scandal, and things are starting to get out of hand.

By now, every Patriots fan knows about the scandal surrounding Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini. Vrabel even missed Day 3 of the NFL Draft to attend counseling and has noted that he is unsure if he will miss more football activities. He is making his family a priority, and as more details of his and Russini's relationship come out, the possibility of him stepping away from football grows.

Vrabel has not stated anything along the lines of him stepping down or taking a leave of absence. However, Daily Mail's Russ Weakland and Ben Nagel, the Patriots already have a preference to replace Vrabel if he does need to step down.

"The Krafts are extremely loyal and have no intention of firing Mike, nor do they want to see him quit over all this drama," an insider told Daily Mail. "But if these upcoming few months go haywire, and if they are put in a situation of no return, either with the team not doing well or the drama of Mike's family issues taking over and forcing a decision on Mike's coaching future, the one person that they would seek to replace him would be Mike Tomlin."

Once again, replacing Vrabel would be a worst-case scenario, and the situation would have to get even worse than it currently is. Vrabel has stated multiple times that he is committed to coaching the Patriots and helping the team win another championship.

Vrabel will have to re-establish his image and make sure that the scandal does not become a bigger distraction. The Patriots have no interest in firing him, but the key for Vrabel will be making sure that his issues outside of football do not negatively impact the Patriots.

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