NFL Rumors: 3 teams that can capitalize on Titans mistake and hire Mike Vrabel
By Lior Lampert
In a shocking turn of events, the Tennessee Titans have fired head coach Mike Vrabel, per ESPN’s Senior NFL insider Adam Schefter. Widely regarded as one of the better coaches in the NFL, the 2021 AP Coach of the Year Award winner instantly becomes a top candidate for teams in search of a new head coach.
Titans fired head coach Mike Vrabel, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2024
Vrabel led Tennessee to four consecutive winning seasons after arriving in 2018, but the Titans have experienced back-to-back frustrating seasons, finishing multiple games under .500 both times.
In six seasons as the head coach of the Titans, Vrabel has a 54-45 record in 99 regular-season games. From 2018-21, Vrabel led the Titans to at least nine wins and three playoff appearances, including a trip to the AFC Championship in 2019. However, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk “wanted fresh perspective in the coaching staff after a 6-18 stretch over the last two seasons”, as reported by Schefter.
Now set to hit the open market, Vrabel should have no shortage of suitors and potentially even have his pick of the litter as he searches for his next coaching job. With that said, these are the three best destinations for the former Titans head coach.
3. Atlanta Falcons
After being ‘torn’ on whether or not to fire head coach Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank decided that moving forward without Smith was the best option for the team. Smith left Blank with no choice after having several shiny toys on the offensive side of the ball at his disposal, littered with top-10 draft picks, but misusing them and using them as decoys at times.
Vrabel, a mastermind when it comes to scheming based around the personnel afforded to him on a respective roster, would know how to maximize the potential of players such as Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson. We just saw Vrabel be the head coach of a star running back with four Pro Bowl nods and an All-Pro appearance - who’s to say he can’t do the same for a player like Robinson who was regarded as a generational talent during his draft evaluation process?
Not to mention, Vrabel makes his money being a defensive guru and would have a defense that is ready to compete now in Atlanta. Between the likes of Calais Campbell (if he returns), David Onyemata, AJ Terrell, and Jessie Bates, Vrabel would have plenty of pieces to work with defensively.
Additionally, Vrabel would benefit from joining a Falcons team that plays in arguably the weakest division in the NFL with the rival teams in the NFC South having uncertain futures, at best. The one thing preventing the Falcons from being higher on this list is their lack of a true franchise quarterback.