Mike Vrabel turned down offer to be 49ers defensive coordinator

Mike Vrabel would rather coach linebackers for the Texans than be the 49ers defensive coordinator with Chip Kelly

Mike Vrabel’s prolific playing career in the NFL has long since come to a close. This past season, he put on the headset on the sidelines of the Houston Texans as the linebackers coach under Bill O’Brien. Heading into the offseason with coaches already being shuffled around the league, Vrabel received an offer for a promotion as the San Francisco 49ers offered him to join Chip Kelly’s staff as the defensive coordinator.

Vrabel declined the offer and will stay in Houston, per ProFootballTalk.

On the surface, Vrabel’s decision as a young linebackers coach in this league seems a bit curious. The 40-year-old elected to stay in a position of much less importance with much less profile and far diminished chance of getting head coaching offers than he would as the Niners defensive coordinator. That seems odd.

However, it’s a little less curious when you first consider the fact that Vrabel and O’Brien have ties from when Vrabel played with the New England Patriots when Brien was added to the coaching staff as an offensive assistant in 2007.

Moreover, the Texans’ current defensive coordinator in Romeo Crennel seems like he might be getting closer to retirement and, as noted in the PFT report, there could be some sort of hush-hush successor deal in place between O’Brien and Vrabel. In fairness, the prospect of being the defensive coordinator with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney on the defense is a little more enticing than any other DC job in the league.

Whatever the case, Vrabel will be back in Houston this season and the 49ers are looking like they may stick with current (yes, they offered Vrabel without firing him) defensive coordinator Eric Mangini in Kelly’s first season as head coach.