When the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their next head coach, changes followed quickly. Veteran departures. Early free-agency additions. A clear reshaping of the roster. Fast forward to now, and that overhaul has paid off, with the Patriots sitting at 12–3 and firmly in the AFC East race. Still, not everything feels settled inside the locker room.

The tension became noticeable after the NFL announced its Pro Bowl 2026 selections, with only two players making the cut. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez. This is why Vrabel acknowledged the reaction, admitting that several players were disappointed to see their names left off the list.

“It says that we’re 12-3 and have two guys who fans, coaches and players felt are worthy enough to make the first ballet. We have some alternates,” the head coach said.

That context makes the frustration easier to understand. The Patriots are 12–3 with two games to play, yet only two players earned Pro Bowl nods. For perspective, the Baltimore Ravens finished 12–5 last season and still led the league with nine selections for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games.

And it’s not as if New England lacks worthy candidates. This season has been driven by strong performances across the roster. TreVeyon Henderson has been central to the ground game. Stefon Diggs has delivered in his first year with the team. Harold Landry III has anchored the pass rush. The production backs it up.

Henderson has carried the ball 148 times through 16 weeks, totaling 776 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Diggs’ debut season in New England has been just as productive, hauling in 76 catches for 869 yards and three touchdowns over the same span. It hasn’t stopped on the offense, either.

Defensively, Landry has made an immediate impact in his first season with the Patriots, recording 48 combined tackles and 8.5 sacks with two games still remaining. He’s hardly the only contributor, but his numbers highlight why some omissions have been hard to ignore.

So, when Mike Vrabel admits players were disappointed even without naming their names, it’s difficult to argue otherwise. The record, the production, and the timing all point to a team that’s delivered across the board, even if the Pro Bowl count doesn’t fully reflect it. For now, though, only two players will show up at the event.

Mike Vrabel’s quarterback makes history in his second NFL season

Drake Maye, along with third-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, has been recognized by the NFL for elite play during the 2025 season. And for Maye, that recognition comes with a familiar honor. The quarterback is headed to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year, with the league’s annual all-star showcase set for Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco.

In doing so, Maye becomes just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to open his career with multiple consecutive Pro Bowl selections. He now shares company with Andrew Luck (three straight), Russell Wilson (four straight), and Dan Marino (five straight), per Patriots.com. He also joins Patriots Hall of Famers Mike Haynes and Curtis Martin as the only players in franchise history to begin their Patriots careers with at least two Pro Bowl nods.

The résumé is rare. The production explains why. Maye has been the engine behind one of the league’s most efficient and explosive offenses. New England ranks first in completion percentage (70.9%), third in passer rating (108.5), and fourth in passing yards (3,947). Overall, the Patriots sit sixth in total offense and seventh in scoring.

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Individually, that efficiency has placed Maye firmly in the MVP conversation. The raw stats back it up: 3,947 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. All this while guiding the Patriots to a 12–3 record. So yes, a few names were inevitably left off the Pro Bowl list. But when you zoom out, it’s hard to make a serious case against Maye’s selection. As for how the rest of the season unfolds? That part is still unwritten.