4 Sean McDermott replacements Bills can hire to get Chiefs monkey off their back

3. Bills can hire former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel

Mike Vrabel coached Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans to the AFC championship game in 2019. The Titans were the No. 1 seed in the 2021 season. With all due respect to Tannehill and those Titans teams, that is quite the accomplishment for a head coach.

In total, Vrabel spent six seasons in charge of the Titans. He posted a winning record in four of them, with his last two seasons ending on the wrong side of .500 prior to his ouster. For a while there, the Titans were a competitive staple in the AFC South under Vrabel. A three-time NFL champion from his playing days, Vrabel has experienced firsthand what it takes to get to the mountaintop. He is one of the most respected names in coaching. If not Buffalo, he will get another shot somewhere.

Vrabel went 54-45 in Tennessee with two postseason wins to his name. The Bills might prefer to install an offensive-minded coach in McDermott's place, but Vrabel's reputation as a leader of men warrants consideration. He can recharge the locker room, invigorate the Bills defense, and put his stamp on a proven contender. Vrabel never had the Bills' talent in Tennessee.

A year ago, the idea of Vrabel even being available was nonsensical. The Bills could view him as the right successor to McDermott — a decorated former player who has poked around the top of the AFC hierarchy as a coach before. Vrabel will have to get rid of playoff demons, too, but he could easily supply the change Buffalo needs.