A coaching journey he needed to take, and the former star linebacker uniquely suited to put a faltering franchise back on track.

The Raiders didn’t simply forget to interview Mike Vrabel before he landed with the Patriots. Vrabel told his former Patriots teammate Tom Brady — who owns a minority stake in the Raiders — that he probably was going to end up back in New England, according to an NFL Network report.

Vrabel made his own path by first serving as a linebackers coach for Ohio State in 2011. He also worked as a defensive line coach for that program in 2012 and 2013 before taking his talents to to NFL, where he worked under Bill O’Brien with the Texans as the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator.