On Tuesday, the Tennessee Titans fired Mike Vrabel, which shocked some people but likely caught the attention of teams with a head-coaching vacancy. Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis hasn’t lined up interviews for his open position yet–he’s focused on potential general managers—but Vrabel could be on his short list of candidates.
Several NFL insiders have noted that Davis might want a splashy hire similar to his previous two, Jon Gruden and Josh McDaniels. If so, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh may not be the only big name with a shot at the Raiders job.
We’ve heard rumors about Harbaugh and even Gruden’s return for a third stint with the Silver and Black. But what about Vrabel?
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz believes Davis could show interest in the former Titans lead skipper.
When asked about the most realistic head coach and general manager scenario for the Raiders, the MMQB’s Albert Breer also brought up Vrabel’s name coupled with former Titans front-office executive Ryan Cowden, who’s current the executive advisor to New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen.
“Vrabel and Cowden,” Breer wrote in his mailbag response to X user Maino03. “I think the Raiders take a swing at Harbaugh. And I think if they can’t land a big fish like Vrabel, Harbaugh or Belichick, then they probably stick with Antonio Pierce.”
For context, Cowden served as the Titans director of player personnel (2016-17), vice president of player personnel (2018-22) and interim general manager after the team fired Jon Robinson in 2022.
As Breer suggested in his Wednesday column, Vrabel may vouch for Cowden at his next destination because the two had a healthy working relationship in Tennessee.
Mike Vrabel’s resume could impress Las Vegas Raiders
Vrabel doesn’t have the glitz and glamour around his name like Harbaugh, but he has an established resume that suggests he’s a quality head coach.
In six seasons, Vrabel didn’t have a star quarterback and only two of his offenses ranked within the top 10 in scoring. Yet he led Tennessee to the playoffs in three consecutive campaigns (2019-2021), which include two division titles (2020-2021) and an appearance in the AFC Championship Game of the 2019 term.
In 2021, Vrabel became the first Titans lead skipper to win NFL Coach of the Year:
If Davis wants Harbaugh but swings and misses, he may at least interview Vrabel in the process of picking the best candidate.
Beyond Vrabel’s resume, he has a connection to Tom Brady, who has a stake in Davis’ Las Vegas Aces WNBA team.
Like in any other career field, a person’s connections can open doors. Assuming Davis respects Brady’s football mind, he may hear a lot of good things about Vrabel from the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
As New England Patriots, Brady and Vrabel played together between the 2001 and 2008 seasons, winning three Super Bowls in that span.
Mike Vrabel’s coaching style doesn’t fit under the “Patriot Way”
Davis seemingly divorced himself from the “Patriot Way” when he fired general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels midway through this past season.
Raiders fans who are sick of the “Patriot Way” invading the franchise’s culture, just remember, Vrabel played under Bill Belichick, but his coaching style isn’t associated with the “Patriot Way” at all.
Vrabel came up through the coaching ranks at Ohio State as a linebackers and defensive line coach, working with former Buckeyes lead skipper Urban Meyer for two out of three years at his alma mater. From there, he served as a linebackers coach between 2014 and 2016 with the Houston Texans under Bill O’Brien before becoming the team’s defensive coordinator in 2017.
In Tennessee, Vrabel established his own coaching style, and it comes off as more of a player’s coach than an authoritarian, which sounds a lot like Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce’s approach.
While Pierce still seems like the most logical head-coaching option if Davis doesn’t land Harbaugh, don’t overlook the possibility that Brady puts in a strong word for Vrabel, who has a solid resume.
Because Vrabel is no longer employed by an NFL club, teams can interview him in person for a job opening. Keep in mind that league-employed coaches cannot interview in person until after the divisional round of the playoffs.
With Vrabel expected to be in high demand, Davis may set up an interview with him sooner rather than later.
Maurice Moton covers the Las Vegas Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.