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.
2. Los Angeles Chargers
After firing head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco following the Los Angeles Chargers’ 63-21 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders on Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football, the Chargers are badly in search of a new identity and a head coach who can capitalize on having a franchise quarterback such as Justin Herbert.
Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million contract last offseason, with the Chargers making a significant investment in the signal-caller under the expectation that they will contend for the Super Bowl yearly. However, the Chargers took a notable step back in 2023 after reaching the playoffs in 2022 and need to find a way to get back on track next season, starting with the potential hiring of Vrabel.
The Chargers hired Staley with zero prior head coaching experience, and it is safe to say that was a failed experiment, to put it nicely. As a result, the Chargers could hire a more experienced coach like Vrabel, who has a proven track record of success.
While the Chargers have holes in their roster, they boast one of the best quarterback-receiver tandems in the NFL between Herbert and six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen, as well as a franchise cornerstone left tackle in the form of Rashawn Slater. Additionally, Vrabel would get the chance to work with multiple All-Pros and Pro Bowlers on the defensive side like Joey Bosa, Derwin James, and Khalil Mack, as well as up-and-coming cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.
Overall, the Chargers would make for a fun landing spot for Vrabel.
1. New England Patriots
Last but not least, Vrabel returning to the New England Patriots tops the list of best destinations. Vrabel spent eight of his 14 seasons as a player with the Patriots from 2001-08. In that span, he helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in 2007 while finishing fifth in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting that season.
With Patriots current head coach (and Vrabel’s former head coach as a player) Bill Belichick’s future with the team in question after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles with the franchise, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz has reported that Vrabel “is interested in the idea of returning to the Patriots,” if the Patriots and Belichick part ways.
While the Patriots are far from contention, especially compared to the teams listed ahead of them on this list, the connection between Vrabel and the franchise goes beyond that. Vrabel enjoyed the greatest success of his NFL career with the Patriots and would potentially have the opportunity to return to Foxborough, only this time to be the head coach.
Of course, this is all dependent on whether the Patriots and Belichick mutually agree to part ways. It is important to note that Belichick signed a “lucrative, multi-year, new contract,” last offseason, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.