After reaching the Super Bowl in his first year as the New England Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel appears set to keep most of his coaching staff intact. So far this offseason, only a couple of departures have been reported. And amid that relative stability, Vrabel and the Patriots have decided to reward one of their key assistants.

On Saturday, the Patriots’ special teams coordinator, Jeremy Springer, signed a two-year contract extension. Springer originally joined the team ahead of the 2024 season under former head coach Jerod Mayo.

The 37-year-old arrived in New England after spending two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams as an assistant special teams coach. When the Patriots reshaped their coaching staff last spring, moving on from Mayo and bringing in Vrabel, Springer was one of the few assistants retained.

And that decision has aged pretty well.

Springer inherited a special teams unit that had struggled through the early 2020s. Yet even in a difficult 2024 season, when the Patriots finished 4-13, the unit quietly became one of the team’s biggest strengths. By the end of the year, New England’s special teams ranked second in the NFL.

A big part of that success came from the return game. Cornerback Marcus Jones finished second in the league in punt returns, averaging 14.8 yards across 26 returns during the 2024 season.

Meanwhile, kicker Joey Slye and punter Bryce Baringer both etched their names into the franchise record books under Springer’s watch.

Slye drilled a team-record 63-yard field goal, which also stands as the fourth-longest kick in NFL history. Baringer, on the other hand, posted the highest single-season punting average in Patriots history at 49.8 yards.

Fast forward to the 2025 season, and Springer’s unit continued to deliver in a year that ended with the Patriots reaching the Super Bowl. During the 2025 regular season, New England’s special teams converted 27 of 32 field goals (84.4%) and 53 of 55 extra points (96.4%), with a long field goal of 59 yards.

Marcus Jones again handled the bulk of the punt return duties with 21 returns. On kickoffs, Efton Chism III led the group with 16 returns, followed by Antonio Gibson with 12 and Kyle Williams with 11.

So while Vrabel has moved on from offensive assistant Robert Kugler and defensive assistants Milton Patterson and Ben McAdoo this offseason, the Patriots clearly see continuity as the better play on special teams, rewarding Springer with a two-year extension.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have also made a few additions on the coaching staff, with more recently coming on the offensive side of the ball.

Mike Vrabel hired his former assistant coach

Jeremy Springer’s extension also marks the second notable coaching move from Mike Vrabel this week. According to The Athletic’s Chad Graff, the Patriots have also brought in longtime NFL assistant Charles London.

London isn’t a new name in Vrabel’s circle. He previously worked under Vrabel as the quarterbacks coach during Vrabel’s tenure with the Tennessee Titans.

While London may be the latest addition in Foxborough, he arrives with plenty of coaching experience across both the NFL and college football.

He first spent three seasons with the Chicago Bears as a quality control assistant. From there, he moved around the league and the college ranks before eventually returning to Chicago. This time, as the team’s running backs coach.

After his time with the Bears and a stint with the Houston Texans, London joined the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He then joined Vrabel in 2023 as part of the Titans’ coaching staff. But once Vrabel left Tennessee, London moved on as well.

His coaching journey continued in 2024 with the Seattle Seahawks. Most recently, he served as the New York Jets’ quarterbacks coach during the 2025 season.

That stint didn’t exactly produce the results the Jets were hoping for, considering New York changed quarterbacks throughout the 2025 season. Still, London now reunites with Vrabel once again, only this time in New England. While the Patriots haven’t officially clarified his role yet, he’s expected to work on the offensive side of the ball.