New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has been in the spotlight this offseason, but the former NFL player continues to express his love for his wife, Jen Vrabel. The Patriots coach was linked to a relationship with longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini after multiple photos surfaced of the two spending time together.
Back in May, Vrabel was asked about balancing his family with his coaching career. Vrabel sent a message on his wife and their two kids, Tyler and Carter.
“Oh, really good. … Again, I appreciate (it). My family is great,” Vrabel told reporters on May 27, 2026.
“I love Jen. I love the boys. I love my personal friends. And then, this spring is focused on really the coaching staff. (Focused on) the players, more importantly than the coaching staff.”
Vrabel previously revealed that he would miss Day 3 of the 2026 NFL draft to attend counseling and focus on his family. The couple was spotted together in August attending the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding.
Mike Vrabel’s Wife, Jen Vrabel, Was a Standout Volleyball Player at Ohio State
The couple met at Ohio State when both were student-athletes. Jen is a former standout volleyball player who met her future husband during a college class as a freshman.
“Jen Boleyn couldn’t help but notice Vrabel in their massive freshman lecture class on time management,” The Tennessean’s Joe Texrode wrote in a January 25, 2028, story titled, “Titans better brace for Vra-ball, because it’s going to hit hard.” “He always sat in the front and he was always talking.
“Eventually she found him funny enough to ask the professor for his phone number, and the 5-foot-10 volleyball player — who is still among Ohio State’s all-time assists leaders — and 6-4 football player quickly became inseparable.”
Mike Vrabel’s Wife, Jen, Previously Worked as a Dental Hygienist
Jen was previously a dental hygienist, per The Tennessean. The couple got married in 1999, the same year Vrabel would begin his third NFL season.
Prior to emerging as a Pro Bowler and 2-time Super Bowl champ, Vrabel was fighting to make an NFL roster early in his career.
“I was like, ‘Wait, the Patriots are going to sign you and you’re going to start for them?’” Jen told The Tennessean in 2018, recalling her husband joining the Patriots in 2001.
“’I’m so confused. I mean awesome, but, for real?’”
Dianna Russini Is Largely Cleared in The Athletic’s Investigation on Her Reporting
As the Patriots coach begins a new NFL season, The Athletic revealed its findings on whether Russini’s relationship (romantic or otherwise) with Vrabel impacted her reporting.
The report largely cleared Russini of any biased reporting but criticized the longtime reporter for not disclosing her relationship with the Patriots coach.
“As stated several times in this report, Russini did not disclose to her editors a clear conflict of interest,” The Athletic’s Mike Semel wrote in a September 3, report titled, “Standards review of Dianna Russini’s coverage for The Athletic.”
“The Athletic’s standards on these issues are robust, but are subject to employee honor, candor and transparency.”
Mike Vrabel Wanted to Issue ‘Stronger Statement’ Defending Dianna Russini: Report
Days before the Patriots’ Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, ESPN’s Ben Strauss and Kalyn Kahler published a detailed behind-the-scenes look at Vrabel’s offseason. One notable finding is that Vrabel initially wanted to issue a “stronger statement” defending Russini when the infamous photos emerged.
“Vrabel told Page Six that the photos ‘show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,'” Strauss and Kahler wrote in a September 7, article titled, “Mike Vrabel emerged from his offseason scandal. Its effects linger.”
“According to a person who spoke to Vrabel at the time, the head coach had wanted to issue a stronger statement that defended Russini’s reporting ethics but settled on downplaying the photos.”
Mike Vrabel Sends Clear Message on Wife, Jen Vrabel, Amid Dianna Russini News