When the Tennessee Titans hired Mike Vrabel, they put a former player who had never been a head coach in charge of their football team. While the Titans still haven’t brought home a Super Bowl, Coach Vrabel has led the team to the playoffs three times. Yet, Tennessee hasn’t taken a trip to the postseason since 2021, and last year, general manager Jon Robinson became the scapegoat.
While the Titans have won two of their past three games, their 5-8 record has Tennessee on track to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. Now under new management with Ran Carthon, is it possible the Titans move on from Coach Vrabel?
All indications suggest the Titans aren’t ready to move on from Vrabel. Not by firing. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini indicated that the front office believes they have the right coach in place.
But what if Vrabel wants out? After all, the New England Patriots do appear on track to move on from Bill Belichick. As a recently inducted member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, Vrabel certainly still has strong ties to the organization and may welcome the idea of rebuilding his once-great team to glory.
As ESPN’s Dan Graziano stated in his Wednesday column, Vrabel’s situation is an “interesting one to watch.”
While the Titans may not have any current plans to move on from Coach Vrabel at the end of the regular season, perhaps a strong trade offer from another franchise, such as the Patriots, leads to a change of heart. Here are two other possible landing spots for Coach Vrabel if the Titans move on.
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New England Patriots
Naturally, the idea of returning to where he enjoyed eight seasons learning under Bill Belichick as a player, helping the Patriots win three Super Bowls, has to be enticing. Especially if the Patriots offer to increase his salary, helping Vrabel rise among the highest-paid coaches in the NFL today.
It takes a certain level of confidence to head into New England as the individual in charge of filling Belichick’s shoes. But team owner Robert Kraft likely doesn’t need to be convinced that Vrabel would do a good job coaching the Patriots after proving successful with the Titans too.
Washington Commanders
Ownership is ready to clean house in Washington, and with deep pockets, why not go all out on a coaching candidate who already has plenty of experience? Going from Ron Rivera to Mike Vrabel may be viewed as too much of a lateral move, especially when considering Washington would also have to include draft picks or players to get the deal done. Yet, for Vrabel, he’d have a chance at a fresh start with new ownership ready to show they’re serious about competing for Super Bowls.
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Las Vegas Raiders
While the early boost Antonio Pierce provided the Raiders was welcome, Coach Vrabel may offer a higher ceiling and one that can be reached quicker with his valued experience. Like Pierce, he’s another former player turned coach, and they both have a similar, no-BS mentality that isn’t afraid to play the best player, not necessarily the highest draft pick.
With all the troubles Mark Davis has had finding a long-term coach, the Raiders might value a trade for Vrabel more than others around the NFL. But would they be willing to pay him top dollar, too? Aside from the Titans being unwilling to move on, agreeing on contract value may be the biggest hurdle to Vrabel landing in Vegas.
