The Patriots spent Tuesday interviewing Chicago Bears interim coach Thomas Brown for their vacant post, MassLive confirmed. Brown was first promoted to offensive coordinator when the Bears fired Shane Waldron, and later was named interim head coach after Matt Eberflus was let go.

The new head coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel, will face a wide array of significant challenges as he tries to restore the once-dominant franchise to contender status in the AFC following back-to-back 4-13 seasons.

Will Josh McDaniels, Wes Welker and Bryan Cox return? Here's a look at who might be Vrabel's assistant coaches.