10 NFL head coaches whose teams should be ready to replace with Mike Vrabel

It did not make sense when the Tennessee Titans fired him. Then again, Amy Adams Strunk is her late father's daughter, and they love to meddle with that franchise! So Mike Vrabel found himself out of a job, despite being the best thing the Titans had going for them not named Derrick Henry. Brian Callahan may become a good head coach one day, but this team he is asked to lead is not of quality.

After interviewing for a few openings last offseason, most notably the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers jobs that ultimately went to Raheem Morris and Jim Harbaugh, Vrabel agreed to come on Kevin Stefanski's Cleveland Browns staff as an analyst. He is overqualified for that role, but is clearly biding his time for whatever comes next. He will be a head coach somewhere next season.

While he would be the top candidate at his alma mater should Ryan Day fail at Ohio State, Vrabel feels more like an NFL head coach because of his combination of defensive-minded in-game strategy, as well as an ability to lead men as an alpha male. With Dianna Russini of The Athletic ($) tabbing him as the best head-coaching candidate in this upcoming cycle, I think there are 10 teams who would love him.

Let's start with Vrabel's current employer and gradually work our way to the best available job for him.

10. Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski

The Cleveland Browns have to know that they have someone special waiting in the wing behind Kevin Stefanski in Mike Vrabel. It just goes to show that Stefanski knows what he is doing, so firing him after a bad season is probably not the best course of action. I think potentially promoting Vrabel from within could work, but I suspect he may have too much loyalty to Stefanski to realistically take it.

Conceivably, the only way I see this working is if Browns owner Jimmy Haslam fires Stefanski before the end of the season and names Vrabel the interim head coach. That could make things easier when it comes to eventually promoting him from within full-time. I would only take this job if I were Vrabel under one huge condition: He and general manager Andrew Berry get to draft their next quarterback.

For as cool as it would be to not see Vrabel move, there are far too many complexities with Cleveland.

9. Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor

The other NFL job in Ohio could open up as well. Admittedly, I would not fire Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor this offseason, even if they do not make the playoffs. The only way I would do it is if his working relationship with Joe Burrow became untenable. In that case, I would say shoot your shot, Bengals. Vrabel could turn heel to go work for the Bengals and should be able to compete right away.

I would think the football savvy of Vrabel would make him a great partner with Duke Tobin in the front office. It would be like coaching a souped-up version of the Tennessee Titans. My biggest concern here is ownership. Mike Brown hates eating a single cent. Whenever The Blackburns take over for him, I wonder if anything is ever going to change in Cincinnati. Vrabel shall not coach encumbered.

Ownership is the only reason why this is not a good landing spot, and why the Bengals are so low.

8. New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo

This would be way too easy, but it is never going to happen. I will never understand for the life of me why the New England Patriots were in such a hurry to promote Jerod Mayo from within after kicking Bill Belichick to the curb. Belichick had to go, but Mayo was more of an idea than a head coach. Expecting him to learn on the fly is putting him in an impossible situation, one that he may not survive.

The right head coach to lead the Patriots was staring them right in the face in Vrabel, and they blew it. He too was a former star linebacker in New England, but actually has ample NFL coaching experience from his days in Nashville and Houston a little bit before that. I would be much more comfortable letting Vrabel be the one in Drake Maye's ear than Mayo trying to figure it all out as a head coach.

As with the Michigan Wolverines with Sherrone Moore, this is what not having any patience looks like.

7. Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus

As long as The McCaskeys own the Chicago Bears, they are never going to be a serious franchise again. They should have punted on Matt Eberflus when they had the chance. While pivoting off Justin Fields in favor of drafting yet another franchise savior in Caleb Williams seemed to be the right call at the time, I had questions about his mental makeup as an NFL starter. He may be the next Jeff George.

Vrabel may be the perfect type of head coach the Bears need. He would surround himself with great coaches and would help get the most out of Williams' obvious talent. However, there is a reason why the Bears have never had a 4,000-yard passer in their franchise's history. Forever stuck in 1985, ownership continues to squander away a top-three media market to further alienate its huge fan base.

The fact Vrabel would not get to pick his own ingredients with Ryan Poles staying put is a problem.

6. New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi

I go back and forth on whether the New Orleans Saints would be a good fit for Mike Vrabel. They just fired a defensive-minded head coach in Dennis Allen to promote former special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi from within. New Orleans needs a reboot in the worst way possible. The roster is a mess, but owner Gayle Benson seems to be completely in general manager Mickey Loomis' corner. Big yikes!

It would be so incredibly fitting for my Atlanta Falcons to overlook hiring Vrabel just because he used to be Arthur Smith's boss and his son is on the team, only for the Saints to hire him a year later. Raheem Morris seems to have a great feel for what Atlanta needs. Vrabel could be that for the Saints. I would actually hire his boss in Kevin Stefanski right away should the Cleveland Browns move on.

Of the five jobs listed above, the Saints is the first one I think Vrabel would seriously consider taking.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson

I have the Jacksonville Jaguars edging out the New Orleans Saints for the first spot in the Mike Vrabel top five for a few reasons. The first is he used to dominate the same division in which Jacksonville plays. The second is their roster is not in as much of a state of disarray. And the third has everything to do with the Jaguars having a franchise quarterback of the future in Trevor Lawrence.

Moving on from Doug Pederson after the end of the season feels like the right way to go for Jacksonville. Things have not been the same since December of last year. Vrabel may have more woking intel of the organization than most in having coached their rival for the better part of a decade previously. I just wonder if he is down for all the wacky that tends to follow Shahid Khan down in Duval.

This will all come down to if Vrabel can trust Lawrence, as well as if he wants to build with Trent Baalke.

4. New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich

Look. Ownership is going to be an issue with every team potentially in the running to win the Mike Vrabel sweepstakes. The New York Jets are not going to be any different here. While it remains to be seen what role owner Woody Johnson will serve as one of the President-elect's foreign ambassadors, the Jets have not made the postseason since Vrabel last played in the NFL in 2010!

In terms of what the Jets need from their next head coach, Vrabel would check all the boxes. Whenever the Jets are good, they have an alpha male who favors the defensive side of the ball leading them. Vrabel would be a better version of what they had in Robert Saleh. The big question is they might have the Mike Vrabel serving as their interim head coach in Jeff Ulbrich. You have to think.

Besides ownership and other dysfunction, this may all come down to how he views Aaron Rodgers.

3. Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy

The ideal landing spot for Mike Vrabel at one point in time may have been the Dallas Cowboys. They need to fix a lot of things going forward, but none of that will matter for as long as Jerry Jones is the owner of the team. Dallas drafts well under the guidnace of Will McClay, so that is a huge plus for Vrabel potentially taking the job. The other big thing he has to consider is the play of Dak Prescott.

I could see Vrabel being a big fan of Prescott's game, but some of these contracts on the books could make it harder for McClay and Stephen Jones to build this team the right way. More importantly, Dallas has only been good under Jerry Jones' ownership when he is honestly challenged by his head coach. He has not been interested in hiring a guy he cannot control since Bill Parcells led this team.

This should be the easiest landing spot for Vrabel, but Jones continues to be an unsolvable problem.

2. New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll

I don't know if firing Brian Daboll is the right solution to solve the New York Giants' problems. He is not a bumbling retread like what Dallas has in Mike McCarthy. Daboll will find work immediately as an offensive coordinator should he be let go. At some point, we have to wonder if the Giants will ever be able to overcome its weak and decadent ownership group. I would still entertain possibly going there.

New York is going to pivot off Daniel Jones after this season. The Giants will be bad enough to select a quarterback high in the 2024 NFL Draft. They have a good pass rush, which could be in Vrabel's favor to potentially take the job. The Giants are just slightly better run than the stadium rival New York Jets. This may end up being the job Vrabel takes, but I don't like how the Giants ownership waffles.

There is a chance that Vrabel could be the Giants' next version of Tom Coughlin or even Bill Parcells.

1. Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce

And we have arrived at the Silver and Black! While Mark Davis is a largely incompetent owner with a bad haircut, he does seem to be incredibly passionate about his team. The Las Vegas Raiders opted to promote Antonio Pierce from within. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it has blown up in their face big time this season. They also need to draft a franchise quarterback ahead this season.

The fact Davis was able to hire former Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco to the same role is the tipping point here for me. He knows what he is doing when it comes to team building. Vrabel knows what he is doing when it comes to coaching a team. If they can come together and identify the right franchise quarterback for them in the draft, we may be entering a new golden age.

The Raiders are one great coach and a good quarterback away from finally be able to turn the corner.