# Eric Mangini
**Eric Mangini** (born 1971 in [Hartford, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/hartford-connecticut)) is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) coach who served as head coach of the [New York Jets](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-jets) from 2006 to 2008 and of the Cleveland Browns from 2009 to 2010, compiling a 33-47 (.413) regular-season record with one playoff appearance[1](https://media.patriots.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/18202057/2001_Media_Guide_New_England_Patriots_WEB-1.pdf) • [2](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/). A longtime assistant under Bill Belichick, he rose from ballboy to defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots before his head coaching career, and later finished his on-field career as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator in 2015[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-hire-mangini-as-next-coach-09000d5d80df34d0) • [4](https://pro-football-history.com/coach/245/eric-mangini-bio).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971, Hartford, Connecticut[1](https://media.patriots.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/18202057/2001_Media_Guide_New_England_Patriots_WEB-1.pdf) |
| Head coaching record | 33-47 (.413) over five seasons (Jets 2006-08, Browns 2009-10); 0-1 in the playoffs[2](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/) |
| Best season | 2006 Jets, 10-6 and a Wild Card berth after inheriting a 4-12 team[5](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579209536/patriots/s2sm0biaya9tiu4uvfrc.pdf) |
| Patriots years | Defensive backs coach 2000-04, defensive coordinator 2005; three Super Bowl titles in four seasons[6](https://www.profootballhistory.com/eric-mangini/) • [7](https://www.patriots.com/news/mangini-named-defensive-coordinator-151351) |
| Browns tenure | Named the franchise's 12th full-time head coach on January 8, 2009; 10-22 in two seasons; fired January 3, 2011[5](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579209536/patriots/s2sm0biaya9tiu4uvfrc.pdf) • [8](https://www.profootballhistory.com/eric-mangini/) |
| NFL coaching span | 1995 to 2015, ending as 49ers defensive coordinator[4](https://pro-football-history.com/coach/245/eric-mangini-bio) |
## Early career with Belichick
Mangini's NFL life began at the bottom of the [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) organization. He started as a ballboy with the Browns in 1994 under then-coach [Bill Belichick](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-belichick), and his first NFL coaching position came in 1995 as an assistant on Belichick's Cleveland staff[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-hire-mangini-as-next-coach-09000d5d80df34d0) • [7](https://www.patriots.com/news/mangini-named-defensive-coordinator-151351). When the Cleveland franchise moved, he spent the 1996 season in Baltimore, then reunited with Belichick in New York as a defensive assistant with the Jets from 1997 to 1999[7](https://www.patriots.com/news/mangini-named-defensive-coordinator-151351).
In 2000 he was one of the first assistants Belichick hired after becoming head coach of the [New England Patriots](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-england-patriots), joining as defensive backs coach on February 1, 2000[7](https://www.patriots.com/news/mangini-named-defensive-coordinator-151351). During his five seasons coaching the secondary, the Patriots won three [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) titles in four years[6](https://www.profootballhistory.com/eric-mangini/). The defenses he worked with were among the league's stingiest: in 2003 New England allowed a league-best and franchise-record low 14.9 points per game, and in 2004 it surrendered 16.3 points per game, tied for second in the NFL[7](https://www.patriots.com/news/mangini-named-defensive-coordinator-151351).
**Defensive coordinator.** The Patriots named Mangini defensive coordinator on February 12, 2005, replacing [Romeo Crennel](https://www.edgepedia.org/romeo-crennel), who left to become Cleveland's head coach[7](https://www.patriots.com/news/mangini-named-defensive-coordinator-151351). In his lone season running the defense, New England went 10-6 and won the [AFC East](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-east)[9](https://profootballarchives.com/coaches/mang00500.html).
## New York Jets, 2006-2008
Mangini jumped from coordinator to head coach in 2006, taking over a Jets team that had gone 4-12 the previous year and guiding it to a 10-6 record and a Wild Card playoff berth[5](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579209536/patriots/s2sm0biaya9tiu4uvfrc.pdf). New York's tabloids dubbed him "Mangenius" after the turnaround[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-hire-mangini-as-next-coach-09000d5d80df34d0). The Jets lost their lone playoff game that season, leaving him 0-1 in the postseason[2](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/).
The following years did not sustain that start. The 2008 team went 9-7[10](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/MangEr0.htm), stumbling down the stretch with four losses in its last five games after an 8-3 start, missing the playoffs behind 39-year-old quarterback [Brett Favre](https://www.edgepedia.org/brett-favre)'s failing arm[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-hire-mangini-as-next-coach-09000d5d80df34d0). The Jets had spent more than $140 million on offseason additions and traded for Favre, a move Mangini did not favor but was forced to accept[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-hire-mangini-as-next-coach-09000d5d80df34d0). He finished 23-25 in three seasons and was fired after the 2008 season[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-hire-mangini-as-next-coach-09000d5d80df34d0).
## Cleveland Browns, 2009-2010
Cleveland moved quickly. Owner Randy Lerner, who required head coaching experience in his candidates and interviewed four men including [Steve Spagnuolo](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-spagnuolo), Josh McDaniels, and [Mel Tucker](https://www.edgepedia.org/mel-tucker), hired Mangini on a four-year deal days after his dismissal; the Browns named him the 12th full-time head coach in franchise history on January 8, 2009[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-hire-mangini-as-next-coach-09000d5d80df34d0) • [5](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579209536/patriots/s2sm0biaya9tiu4uvfrc.pdf).
Both seasons ended 5-11, giving him a 10-22 record in Cleveland[8](https://www.profootballhistory.com/eric-mangini/) • [11](https://profootballarchives.com/coaches/mang00500.html). His two years were marked by losing streaks, injuries, and what NFL.com described as far too much drama for a franchise still searching for a foothold in its expansion era[12](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-fire-mangini-holmgren-doesn-t-totally-dismiss-coaching-09000d5d81d6d737). Team president [Mike Holmgren](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-holmgren) fired Mangini on January 3, 2011[8](https://www.profootballhistory.com/eric-mangini/).
## Spygate
In September 2007, then-Jets coach Mangini, a former assistant under Belichick, helped initiate what became known as the Spygate scandal, in which the NFL fined Belichick and the Patriots for illegally videotaping signals by Jets coaches during a game[13](https://apnews.com/article/c54261982d1dc3402e2b413bca26798d). The episode strained his relationship with New England; reporting on Mangini's Cleveland hiring noted that his relationship with Patriots executive [Scott Pioli](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-pioli), whom Lerner had hoped to pair with him as general manager, may have been strained when Mangini reported the Patriots to the league[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-hire-mangini-as-next-coach-09000d5d80df34d0).
## Later career
After Cleveland, Mangini moved into broadcasting, joining ESPN as an NFL studio analyst; he had already worked as a guest analyst during the 2010 playoffs previewing the Jets-Patriots AFC Divisional matchup[14](https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/eric-mangini-joins-espn-as-nfl-analyst/).
He returned to the field in San Francisco, where he spent three seasons with the 49ers and served as defensive coordinator in 2015, his first season running the unit, installing a 3-4 scheme similar to the one his predecessor [Vic Fangio](https://www.edgepedia.org/vic-fangio) had run[4](https://pro-football-history.com/coach/245/eric-mangini-bio) • [15](https://media.49ers.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/08213527/San_Francisco_2015_49ers_at_Seattle_Seahawks-Week_11_Release.pdf). His NFL coaching career ran from 1995 to 2015[4](https://pro-football-history.com/coach/245/eric-mangini-bio).
## Assessment
Mangini's head coaching record, 33-47 with one playoff appearance in five seasons, places him among the less successful branches of the Belichick coaching tree[2](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/). His coaching tree, the assistants who later became head coaches after serving on his staffs, combined for a 105-149-2 regular-season record and 6-4 in the playoffs over eighteen seasons[4](https://pro-football-history.com/coach/245/eric-mangini-bio).
## References
1. [New England Patriots 2001 Media Guide (Mangini biography)](https://media.patriots.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/18202057/2001_Media_Guide_New_England_Patriots_WEB-1.pdf)
2. [Coaches, Records, and Coaching Totals, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/)
3. [Browns hire Mangini as next coach, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-hire-mangini-as-next-coach-09000d5d80df34d0)
4. [Eric Mangini bio, Pro Football History.com](https://pro-football-history.com/coach/245/eric-mangini-bio)
5. [New England Patriots game release, November 7, 2010](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579209536/patriots/s2sm0biaya9tiu4uvfrc.pdf)
6. [The Life And Career Of Eric Mangini, Pro Football History](https://www.profootballhistory.com/eric-mangini/)
7. [Mangini named defensive coordinator, Patriots.com (February 12, 2005)](https://www.patriots.com/news/mangini-named-defensive-coordinator-151351)
8. [Browns fire Mangini, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-fire-mangini-holmgren-doesn-t-totally-dismiss-coaching-09000d5d81d6d737)
9. [Eric Mangini Coaching Record, Pro Football Archives](https://profootballarchives.com/coaches/mang00500.html)
10. [Eric Mangini Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/MangEr0.htm)
11. [Eric Mangini Coaching Record, Pro Football Archives (2010 Browns season)](https://profootballarchives.com/coaches/mang00500.html)
12. [Browns fire Mangini; Holmgren doesn't totally dismiss coaching, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-fire-mangini-holmgren-doesn-t-totally-dismiss-coaching-09000d5d81d6d737)
13. [Bill Belichick reached out to Jets about their vacancy before taking UNC job, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/c54261982d1dc3402e2b413bca26798d)
14. [Eric Mangini Joins ESPN as NFL Analyst, ESPN Press Room](https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/eric-mangini-joins-espn-as-nfl-analyst/)
15. [San Francisco 49ers Week 11 release (2015)](https://media.49ers.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/08213527/San_Francisco_2015_49ers_at_Seattle_Seahawks-Week_11_Release.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › NFL head coaches › Current and recent head coaches*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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