New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has had the support of his wife of 25 years, Jen Vrabel, on his rise through the NFL ranks.
Mike was playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers when he and Jen tied the knot in 1999. Jen has cheered on her husband throughout his 26-year NFL career, first as a player and later as a coach. Mike joked when he accepted the job as the Patriots’ head coach in January 2025 that Jen had been “along for this ride for quite a while.”
During that 25-year “ride,” Mike and Jen welcomed their two sons, Tyler and Carter, who both had college athletics careers of their own. Tyler played football like his dad and even signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 while Carter played baseball.
Mike made headlines in April 2026 when photos of him and NFL insider Dianna Russini were published by Page Six. The pictures, which were taken at a resort in Sedona, Arizona, showed Mike and Russini sunbathing, interlocking hands and sharing a hot tub. Shortly after the pictures were published, Mike and Russini both issued statements saying nothing romantic was happening between them.
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Keep scrolling for more about the Vrabels’ marriage and Jen’s private life outside the spotlight.
Mike Vrabel and Jen Vrabel Have Been Together Since College
Mike and Jen Vrabel were college sweethearts when they both attended Ohio State University. The couple told The Tennessean in 2018 that Jen first noticed Mike in a freshman time management class and got his number from the professor.
The two bonded over both being student athletes. Mike was playing defensive end for the Buckeyes on a scholarship, whereas Jen played for Ohio State’s volleyball team from 1993 to 1996.
“Ohio State has had a great impact on the lives of my wife and me,” Mike said in 2006.
One year after Mike was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997, Jen graduated from Ohio State with a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene in 1998. She was an All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten honoree during her college years, per Ohio State.
Mike has often credited Jen for sticking by him as he made the transition from college athletics to the NFL.
“[Jen] challenged me to get into the NFL after spending some time at Ohio State,” Mike revealed in 2018.
Mike Vrabel and Jen Vrabel Are Parents to 2 Sons
Mike and Jen share two sons: Tyler Vrabel, born in June 2000, and Carter Michael Vrabel, born in November 2001.
Initially, Jen worked as a dental hygienist in Columbus, Ohio, while Mike spent a lot of his time in Pittsburgh. Mike’s NFL schedule meant he was on the road a lot during both of Jen’s pregnancies — including when she delivered Carter.
“I’m just going to tell you about my wife. She gave birth to Carter, I missed it, I was at practice, she was in Ohio,” he recalled in 2018. “He came early, he flipped, they had to take her.”
Mike admitted that he eventually showed up “four hours later” to check on his wife and newborn son.
“I was playing football and she was having a baby,” he joked. “I love her to death. She’s been through a lot and she understands this league.”
Mike and Jen Vrabel Practically Raised Their Kids on the Football Field
Tyler and Carter Vrabel have been raised around football their entire lives, as their dad Mike Vrabel first played in the NFL and later coached for multiple franchises.
“They’ve been around the NFL locker room since they’ve been born,” Mike said of his sons in 2018.
Tyler played college football at Boston College and later joined the Atlanta Falcons as an offensive tackle in 2022. He returned to his alma mater at Boston College as an offensive line consultant for the coaching staff in 2025.
Carter’s passion was baseball and he logged time on the diamond at Wabash Valley College, Volunteer State Community College and Tennessee Tech while majoring in interdisciplinary studies.
Jen Vrabel Poked Fun at Her Role as an NFL Wife
Jen Vrabel has largely stayed out of the spotlight throughout her husband’s career, though she did open up to The Tennessean in 2018 about the occupational hazards of her husband’s job.
“I always knew when he had a concussion because he would be really nice,” she teased. “Nice to the point of weird.”
Jen often shared hilarious moments from Mike Vrabel’s playing and coach days via social media in the 2010s until setting her X to private several years ago.
Mike and Jen Vrabel Put Their Family 1st
Mike Vrabel had an impressive NFL career with three Super Bowl wins as a player before being named the New England Patriots’ head coach in January 2025. (Mike’s coaching career started with a return to Ohio State as a defensive line coach for a two-year stint between 2011 and 2013. He moved on to the NFL with the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2017, the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023 and the Cleveland Browns in 2024.)
Jen Vrabel told ESPN in 2019 that both she and Mike made their family a top priority despite her husband’s growing coaching profile.
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“Fridays are always our nights because we have a teenage son that doesn’t want to hang out with Mom and Dad, so he goes to high school football games,” Jen explained. “It’s fun. He’s usually home earlier, and we grab dinner. When he coached in college, he really didn’t have a night like that, so we cherish that night. It was the same when he played. Fridays were always the best. It became like a date night or family night.”
Mike confirmed to The Athletic in 2025 that he took his first long-term break from football in decades — or possibly ever — to celebrate his and Jen’s 25th wedding anniversary on a 10-day getaway in Italy.
