For Father’s Day in 2023, the Atlanta Falcons' offensive tackle, Tyler Vrabel, talked about what his father, former NFL player Mike Vrabel, was like while raising his family.

Mike Vrabel was in his fourth year in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers when his son, Tyler, was born in 2000. Tyler spoke of one memory that’s etched into his brain during his dad's initial NFL years.

“The one thing I do remember is that he was holding me and trying to get me to put the No.1 with my hand,” said Tyler, according to Scott Bair of atlantafalcons.com. “I couldn’t remember how to do it, so he grabbed my hand and showed me how to hold it. I do remember that and other things like that. It’s the weird small things that stick out in your mind.”

Mike Vrabel's NFL journey spanned 14 years and Tyler lauded his father for always having time for his family.

“My dad was always there. Looking back though, I honestly can’t believe how much time he spent with us,” shared Tyler with Scott Bair of the AtlantaFalcons.com.

The time Vrabel spent with his family is especially interesting considering he only featured in fewer than 13 regular-season games two times in his NFL career.

“With all the stuff I have to do as an NFL player, I just don’t know how he managed to hang out with me and my brother and be at so many of our games and big events," Tyler continued. "He always took time to make sure he was around whenever it was possible."

Tyler Vrabel, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons for their 2023 season as an offensive tackle, credited his father for giving him a solid start to his professional career. 

“That was a big thing last year,” said Tyler. “I would ask him how I should go about certain things and how to manage my time. He helped me get into a comfortable routine and establish what I needed to do to get myself ready. It’s crazy to think about how much he did while also being with the family.”

Mike Vrabel's coaching journey started in 2011 with different teams across the league. In 2025, he returned to the New England Patriots as their head coach.

Tyler concluded that he has grown to appreciate his father more for not compromising on spending time with the family despite his busy career as an NFL player and coach. 

Currently, his father is focused on adding key elements to the Patriots roster after they lost a Super Bowl final to the Seattle Seahawks just last year.

New England Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel identifies next roster priority

The New England Patriots are making the needed changes to get back to the Super Bowl after their Super Bowl LX upset against the Seattle Seahawks.

According to the official Patriots website, head coach Mike Vrabel has addressed the need at tight end.

“Just from a numbers standpoint at camp,” said Vrabel. “I think that is somewhere where we will probably have to evaluate the number. I mean, there are 90, 91 guys on every team, so we will just have to take a look at that…”

Heavy.com's Dan Morrison has added that the veteran Hunter Henry is expected to be the Patriots’ starting tight end after TE Julian Hill’s season-ending knee injury.

Surely, Vrabel is looking to add depth at the second slot of the tight end position for the upcoming season. 

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Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote