Chiefs Acquire Vrabel From Patriots
Veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel joined the Chiefs Friday after the club engineered a deal with the New England Patriots.
The team has not yet formally announced the trade so what the Chiefs gave up for Vrabel remains unknown.
Vrabel will be 34 years old this August and will be appearing in his 13th NFL season. He signed eight years ago with the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent after four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a third-round choice (pick No. 91) of the Steelers in the 1997 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.Â
With the Buckeyes, Vrabel played defensive end, but he moved to outside linebacker in the NFL. He did not get much playing time in his four seasons in Pittsburgh, appearing in 51 games, with no starts and had 43 total tackles and seven sacks. He also contributed 23 tackles on special teams.
The Ohio native signed with the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent in March of 2001 and has played there for eight seasons in the New England defense and offense. He’s caught 10 passes in regular and post-season play, all for touchdowns. He also has an interception return for a touchdown, giving him 11 touchdowns in his career.
Last season, Vrabel had 60 tackles, with four sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. During the Patriots 16-0 season of 2007, Vrabel had 77 tackles and a career high 12.5 sacks. Over his eight seasons with the Patriots, he contributed 631 tackles, 48 sacks and 11 interceptions. He was a starter in the Pro Bowl after the 2007 season and was named to the Associated Press All-Pro first team.
Totals for his 12 years in the NFL are 674 tackles, 55 sacks, 11 interceptions, 16 forced fumbles and six fumbles recovered.
Michael George Vrabel was born on August 14, 1975 in Akron, Ohio. He added Walsh Jesuit High School in Stowe, Ohio. He and his wife Jen have two sons, Tyler and Carter. Vrabel was a pre-med major at Ohio State.
I like the guy…
But didn’t we just cut one aging linebacker?
Maybe Vrabel is here to ease a transition to 3-4.
I mostly hope that the Chiefs didn’t give up too high of a pick in this situation, considering the guy probably won’t play for more than 2-3 more years.
I’m split down the middle with these pick up…but aslong as he mentors my boy Aaron Curry n D.J. rite, I’m cool with the move b/c we need some sort of leadership n the defensive huddle! (Hahahaha…I told every1 that Aaron Curry was gonna blow up the combine….did any1 notice how all the so called great U.S.C. players looked fairly average n comparison 2 every1 else? lol Cushing and Maualuga highly overrated!)
Vrabel is two years younger then Edwards, so I think that if he could help transition into the 3-4, for a couple of years, it will be a good pick up.
Oh Yeah, Matt Stafford is a walking train wreck! Why go 2 the combine if u had no intentions on doing the drills? Cant wait 2 see him steal some1′s money, I pray 2 God that “The Mighty Pioli and The Boy Wonder Haley” dont make this huge mistake….I may truly consider not being a chiefs fan if we draft this bum!
Well I hope this isn’t the beginning to getting older in the league, could be another Vermiel era coming up. I hope he can achieve greater success away from the Pats than Ty Law, Deion Branch, Asante Samuel, Bledsoe, glenn and any other PAT system player that has left to get paid…
Asante Samuel didn’t look to bad with the Eagles last year, especially in the playoffs even while he was playing hurt. Other than that, I’d have to agree with you. At 34, you wonder how much he has left.
Listen to Hunts pod on Chiefs Webb . Hunt tells more in this pod what the Chiefs well be doing in free agency & the draft. Hunt talk about signing 2nd week players in free agency – QB & the way we might draft. It was more information than what has & well be said by the Chiefs front office.
This trade is a horrible move. Pioli and Haley are not impressing anyone to this point.
Another Vermeil era? Heaven forbid! Who would want to win as many as 13 games when you could win as few as two?!!?
If we gave up more than a conditional 7th for Vrabel it’s too much. I understand the need to bring in a leader who is the epitome of the “Patriot Way” and I’m fine with it, as long as we didn’t overpay in draft choice(s). It’s a better way to add “leadership” then paying Ray Lewis ridiculous money.
Well not impressed with this move guess they had to make a mistake somewhere. Vrabel is good but is getting up in age and has never been the guy to carry the load. Guess we will see next season what he is made of.
I’m not opposed to this pick, although I hope it’s not an effort by Pioli to prove a point of the pick up in 2001.
How can anyone say they don’t like this move if they have no idea what the Chiefs gave up?
My speculative bet is that we didn’t give up much for Vrabel. Pioli probably got word from the Pats that they were going to release him. They were most likely looking to get anything in return over releasing him for nothing. I would be surprised if we gave up anything more than our early 5th round pick. If that’s the case and he can be productive and help the transition to the 3-4, then I believe it’s a good move for the young Chiefs.
Still a season ticket holder,
Milt from Webb City
Vrabel is a spy for Pioli!
its possible this is a small piece to the Cassel puzzle…
As for he heard he was going to get cut…PLEASE, no way…more like, he heard the cap raised by 4 mil and took on a 3.5 mil dollar contract, if he has a good relationship with vrabel, he couldve signed him for less technically, sure there would be competition, but still…
I think hes a leader, can help teach the 3-4, all depends on how much we gave up, and if its this or next year’s pick…since this year the picks are valuable…I’d say a 6th would be my guess if its just this simple trade….or a conditional 4th-5th next year.
Yeah, because aging veterans never get cut.
Still a season ticket holder,
Milt from Webb City
Vrabel comes off as a class-A douche bag in interviews, but he has a great track record as a team leader and has been a part of three Super Bowl winning teams. Also, with his history of solid TE play on the goal line, he may allow the Chiefs to carry just 2 TEs (Tony and Cottam) instead of 3. Seriously.