Patriots’ Mike Vrabel calls Robert Kraft missing Hall of Fame ‘unfortunate’

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel knows franchise owner Robert Kraft will be a Hall of Famer, but if he truly missed the first ballot selection in the Class of 2026, there will be disappointment in the organization.

Vrabel said Tuesday at the Santa Clara Marriott he was aware of reports that Kraft, like former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, was not in the Hall of Fame class to be announced Thursday night in San Francisco.

"I would just say that that's unfortunate," Vrabel said before loading up with the rest of the team on three busses parked outside the white tents set up for press conferences. "I would say that in my experiences with Robert, he's more than deserving. And he'll be in the Hall of Fame. I'm just not in charge of deciding when that happens."

Players are technically off on Tuesday after their first formal practice of the week Monday at Stanford University. The team has multiple activities on the schedule including the official team photo.

"He threw Monday," Vrabel said. "I think it was a good start to the week for us."

The Patriots are going against a Seahawks' front four that finished in the top three in quarterback pressure percentage. Vrabel is counting on a couple of rookies to safeguard Maye, including first-round pick Will Campbell at left tackle and third-round pick Jared Wilson at left guard.

"I think they're talented, I think that they've tried to get better each and every week," Vrabel said. "We never really looked at it as rookie players on the left side. ... We talk about maturity."

New England has installed its game plan and this week is placing extra attention and emphasis on position meetings. Each player, position group and position coach has a granular breakdown of the plan and the roles and responsibilities within it.

"You only get so many opportunities to make plays," Vrabel said. "You have to be ready."