The Washington Commanders now have the final head coach opening in the NFL, meaning that the field has opened up to an extent for them.
Former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was hired to be the next Seattle Seahawks’ head coach on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, two Commanders candidates in that of Ben Johnson and Bobby Slowik opted to return to their current clubs.
This has Washington’s list of known candidates down to three. That includes Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Baltimore Ravens assistant Anthony Weaver.
One might think that new Commanders front office head Adam Peters would expand that list now that they have the final opening around the NFL. While that might be the case, don’t expect two big names to suddenly become candidates.
Washington Commanders have no interest in Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel
“Looming over the Commanders’ search, however, are two coaches they haven’t interviewed yet — Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel, who happen to be two of the best and most experienced head coaches to hit the open market in years,” Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reported Wednesday. “But there have been no indications at all that new Commanders owner Josh Harris and his search committee, which obviously includes new general manager Adam Peters, intends to turn to either of them.”
Washington was initially linked to Belichick early in the process. But once the six-time Super Bowl champion and his former New England Patriots team mutually agreed to part ways, that changed. Once Peters was brought on with full player personnel control in Washington, this was magnified further.
Belichick has not drawn any real interest this cycle outside of the Atlanta Falcons. Once they opted for Raheem Morris, his name stopped being linked to teams.
As for Vrabel, he was surprisingly fired by the Tennessee Titans after the 2023 season. The respected former head coach drew interest from the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers, among others, before those teams settled on different options.
The Commanders find themselves between a rock and a hard place right now. Sure, their job is more attractive with owner Josh Harris calling the shots over the disgraced Daniel Snyder. But this process has not necessarily played out in their favor.
Meanwhile, Dan Quinn just recently had his second interview with the Commanders. It was reported to be a smashing success. At this point, he has to be seen as the favorite to land the gig in Washington.