The Raiders called, but Ashton Grant declined — another quiet win for Vrabel’s culture in Foxboro. For Drake Maye, that means year two finally comes with a rare luxury: continuity.
New England Patriots quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant is staying put in Foxboro for 2026.
Grant was a candidate for the vacant offensive coordinator role in Las Vegas, but Adam Schefter reported today that he declined to discuss the opening with the Raiders.
At just 30 years old, Grant has quickly established a name for himself in the New England area after joining Mike Vrabel’s coaching staff last spring. He previously spent five seasons with the Cleveland Browns in various roles, and caught the attention of Vrabel in 2024 when the two worked together in Cleveland.
The Manchester, Connecticut native played wide receiver at Assumption College from 2014-17 — where he holds school records for receiving yards (3,204), touchdown receptions (36), and touchdown receptions in a single season (13) — before a brief professional stint. Grant began coaching as a quality control coach at Holy Name in 2019 before linking up with the Browns in 2020.
Over the course of his first year with the Patriots, Grant received public praise from Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, and Drake Maye on multiple occasions.
During a January 21 media availability, Vrabel commented:
“Yeah, I worked with Ashton in Cleveland. I got to evaluate him every day and what he did in Cleveland. I think it's a good balance between him and Josh. And Josh was really excited for us to be able to add Ashton. Was in on those interview processes that we had for the quarterbacks coach, and I think Ashton really fit his vision that he had.”
He continued, “First year in the system, it's going to be – Josh is going to have a heavy role in that, but also, I'll go in there and Ashton will be meeting with these guys situationally. I think it is a good balance between him and Josh and how long Josh has done it. And maybe the newness and the youngness of Ashton is a nice little balance.”
Maye remarked on Grant earlier this week, stating: “Ashton has been awesome with just kind of relaying the connections between the past offense that he was in last year with the Browns that we had last year and just translating it, now using our own terminology and kind of building the foundation for this offense.”
With the Patriots’ 2025 success and ten new coaching staffs being built in the offseason, it was a matter of when, not if, other teams would be looking to take a poke at their assistants.
Grant’s reluctance to take an offensive coordinator interview elsewhere is a testament to the relationships he has in New England — and, once again, the culture that’s been built in the building over the last 13 months.
Now, Maye will officially enter the 2026 season with complete continuity on the staff that’s immediately involved with his day-to-day operations — position coach, coordinator, and head coach will all be returning for year two.
After starting 26 games at North Carolina under two different offensive coordinators and the New England coaching staff getting wiped clean after year one for him in Foxboro, this is the first time Maye will be afforded that luxury.
Maye’s talent popped off the screen in year one of the Vrabel era, and that was due in large part to the structure that was in place around him.
Grant is a key component of that, and will be working with the star quarterback once again throughout this upcoming season.
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