Mike Vrabel

Mike Vrabel On Jaguars’ HC Radar?

January 7th, 2025 at 1:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars unveiled their initial list of head coaching targets on Tuesday. The team has submitted an interview request with eight candidates so far, but other staffers will likely receive a look as well.

One of those could well be Mike Vrabel. The former Titans head coach is on the Jaguars’ “wish list,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. That comes as little surprise given the fact Vrabel has long been considered one of the top candidates in the 2025 hiring cycle. He has already interviewed with the Jets, while the Bears have issued an interview request. The Saints plan to line up a meeting as well.

Of course, the former Coach of the Year has long been connected to the Patriots given his success with the team as a player. Vrabel won three Super Bowlers with New England and he has a strong relationship with owner Robert Kraft. Once Jerod Mayo became a one-and-done coach, many immediately pointed to Vrabel as a logical replacement, and recent reporting on the matter confirms he is perceived as the team’s top candidate.

Jacksonville’s initial list of targets only includes one former head coach: Robert Saleh. The 45-year-old was in place at the helm of the Jets from 2021 through the first five weeks of this campaign. His firing brought about an end to his first NFL head coaching gig, one which was preceded by a four-year stretch as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. That, in turn, came after Saleh worked with a number of teams as a position/quality control coach, including three years coaching the Jaguars’ linebackers. Currently working as a Packers consultant, his candidacy will be one of the more interesting ones to follow this winter.

As Schefter notes, Lions coordinator Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are also top Jaguars targets. That falls in line with the interest both coaches have already received from other teams and comes as no surprise since both have received an interview slip from Jacksonville. Vrabel (whose Browns contract recently expired, leaving him free to speak with teams at any time) could also become a name to watch as the Jags seek out their Doug Pederson replacement.

Bears To Interview Mike Vrabel; Saints Also In Contact

January 7th, 2025 at 9:15am CST by Adam La Rose

To no surprise, Mike Vrabel is one of the most sought-after candidates in the 2025 hiring cycle. Already on the radar of the Jets and Patriots, the former Coach of the Year is drawing further interest.

The Bears have lined up an interview with Vrabel, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports. The meeting will take place tomorrow, he adds. Chicago sent out several interview requests yesterday, but of course in Vrabel’s case that is not necessary. The former Titans coach recently saw his consulting contract with the Browns expire, leaving him free to speak with interested teams at any time.

Vrabel has already interviewed with the Jets, and the same will very likely be the case with the Patriots soon. New England fired Jerod Mayo on Sunday, ending his run as head coach after only one season. In the immediate aftermath of that decision, many pointed to Vrabel as Mayo’s likely successor. Indeed, as thing stand, the former Patriots linebacker is considered New England’s preferred choice. Vrabel will have several options to consider prior to taking the Patriots gig if that turns out to be his intent, though.

Chicago’s list of targets covers a wide range of experienced former head coaches – including Vrabel and longtime Seahawks HC Pete Carroll – along with many of the top coordinators on the market. Vrabel spent six years at the helm of the Titans, leading the team to three straight postseason appearances (2019-21). The downward trend the team experienced in his last two years – resulting in a 13-21 record – has not done much damage to his stock around the league given the interest being shown so far.

That includes the Jets, Patriots and Bears, but one of the other teams with a vacancy is also looking into Vrabel. The Saints are in contact and are attempting to line up an interview, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports. New Orleans has been on the lookout for a new coach since Dennis Allen‘s firing midway through the campaign, and the team sent out five interview requests yesterday. Before that took place, Vrabel had already been mentioned as a name to watch for the Saints, so it comes as no surprise a meeting will likely be on the books soon.

For the coaches of playoff teams, rules are in place governing when (and, with respect to virtual or in-person interviews, how) candidates can meet with suitors. That does not apply to Vrabel, of course, so he could be among the first dominoes to fall during this year’s hiring cycle. It will be interesting to see how his initial round of interviews shakes out.

Mike Vrabel Seen As Patriots’ Top HC Target

January 6th, 2025 at 10:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots did not wait for ‘Black Monday’ to arrive when making the decision to fire Jerod Mayo. His tenure as head coach ended after only season, and New England is now one of five teams in need of a new coach.

Interview requests have started coming out, and the Patriots are set to meet with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The most sought-after candidate in the 2025 cycle will have a number of other suitors, but the Patriots have of course been heavily linked to Mike Vrabel. The former New England linebacker is, to no surprise, considered the top name to watch as the team’s search takes place.

Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston notes it is “safe to presume” Vrabel is the top option for the Patriots as they seek out Mayo’s replacement. Meanwhile, Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal adds six executives from around the league believe Vrabel will wind up being hired by New England. The former Titans coach spent much of the 2024 campaign as a consultant with the Browns, but his contract recently expired, leaving him free to interview with interested teams.

That has already seen Vrabel meet with the Jets, a team which has expressed interest in adding experience on the sidelines and in the front office. Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager reports that interview went “very well,” and the Patriots could have competition from inside and outside the AFC East as a result. The Saints have been named as a team to watch regarding a Vrabel interview, while the presence of Tom Brady fueled a recent report stating the Raiders’ top option to replace Antonio Pierce would be Vrabel. At this point, though, Pierce remains in place as Vegas’ coach.

Vrabel played 14 years in the NFL, including eight with the Patriots. The three-time Super Bowl champion is held in high regard by owner Robert Kraft and New England’s front office; as such, connections have long been made between the two. Vrabel, 49, was in charge of the Titans from 2018-23 in a stretch which included Coach of the Year honors in 2021.

Tennessee reached the playoffs three straight seasons under Vrabel, but the last two years of his tenure resulted in a combined record of 13-21. Brian Callahan was brought in last offseason as a replacement, and while the Titans bottomed out to the point of landing the top pick in the upcoming draft he appears safe to coach at least one more year. Given the relative dearth of known commodities in the 2025 coaching cycle, Vrabel’s stock remains high.

It will be interesting to see if the Mayo firing is quickly followed by a serious Vrabel pursuit. Kraft could be cautioned against bringing in another ex-player in the wake of Mayo’s struggles, but for now it would come as no surprise if he were to take that route again.

Jets Interview Mike Vrabel For HC Job

January 3rd, 2025 at 11:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored to have Mike Vrabel high on their list of prospective head coaches, the Jets have an important meeting set up for today. They will meet with the former Titans HC at their facility, The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt reports.

Vrabel’s consulting contract with the Browns expired this week, giving him the ability to meet with teams at any point moving forward. Candidates who are still tied to teams are not yet permitted to conduct interviews — either virtually or onsite. Vrabel can as a coaching free agent, and he will take advantage of that status.

Vrabel, 49, has become expectedly popular on what is considered to be a thinner coaching carousel. A mid-December report tabbed him as the Jets’ preferred candidate. Since, he has been tied to the Patriots, Raiders and Saints. While the New England job is believed to be one he would strongly consider, the Pats are not committed to making Jerod Mayo a one-and-done. The Raiders have also not committed to firing Antonio Pierce, but Vrabel’s past with Tom Brady — the broadcaster/minority owner who is expected to play a lead role in the AFC West team’s offseason — has tripped alarms across the league regarding a potential fit.

The Browns recruited Vrabel to help out this season, as both sides learned from the other party’s differing style. Vrabel aided the analytically geared organization both in practice and on gamedays, with Rosenblatt indicating the former Titans HC began traveling to Browns road games around the midseason point. Vrabel worked with both Cleveland’s tight ends and offensive line, transitioning to the latter area during the year. Browns brass also picked Vrabel’s brain regarding personnel.

Rumors about the Jets needing to overpay to obtain a high-end HC candidate have surfaced. Woody Johnson‘s meddling became perhaps their defining 2024 story. The owner made his voice known in personnel matters regularly, from firing Robert Saleh without consulting GM Joe Douglas, to interceding on trades and free agency matters. Madden-based decisions involving his teenage sons became the most memorable component of an eventful year for the Jets owner, who is part of an HC hiring process for the first time since 2015, having previously served in Donald Trump’s presidential administration.

Johnson is not expected to return to the Trump administration, calling his role with the Jets into question. Vrabel clashed with Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk during the final stretch of his Titans tenure and may have multiple offers, giving the Jets a potential uphill battle to fight given Johnson’s involvement. They are, however, not committed to building their next power structure around a GM or a head coach. Given Vrabel’s stock, he may need a notable voice in personnel matters to take a job.

Roster control loomed as one of Vrabel’s issues with Adams Strunk, and Rosenblatt adds HC interviews last year involved teams questioning if he could effectively collaborate with a GM. The Jets having yet to hire a GM would stand to work in Vrabel’s favor.

“There’s got to be clear communication with ownership, so that we understand as coaches what the expectations are,” Vrabel said, via Rosenblatt. “That’s so we can explain to them what’s reasonable, what we can do, what we probably can do and what we’re going to try to do — or die trying. I want to have a structure in place that people see the game the same way I do from an X’s-and-O’s standpoint, from a personnel standpoint, with team-building. We would hopefully have that alignment, which is critical.

“And I would like to be able to say that there’s a quarterback that you feel like you can win with — or that there’s a path to find the one that you can win with.”

Vrabel will follow Ron Rivera in interviewing with the Jets, who have regularly hired defensive-minded HCs (Saleh, Todd Bowles, Rex Ryan and Eric Mangini among them) during Johnson’s ownership tenure. Arthur Smith is also believed to be in play for the job, but unattached names will have the first shot at speaking with the team, which must eventually meet with two external minority candidates to satisfy the Rooney Rule.

Patriots Still Expected To Retain Jerod Mayo; Mike Vrabel Interested In Job?

January 1st, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike Vrabel‘s Browns consulting gig is over; the six-year Titans leader is a coaching free agent again. Interviews with any team carrying a vacancy can commence, giving Vrabel a potential head-start on his top competition.

Regardless of what other candidates generate serious momentum, it is expected Vrabel will land a job during this cycle. After being shut out in 2024, the former Coach of the Year is being tied to several teams.

The Raiders and Saints are among them, but other clubs being connected to the experienced HC as well. The Giants, who may or may not be ready to fire Brian Daboll, have come up as a potentially interested team as well. They employ ex-Vrabel coworker Ryan Cowden, who has been mentioned as someone who could be in play as a GM alongside the former Tennessee HC.

The Jets came up early in connection to Vrabel, with a mid-December report pegging him as the team’s preferred candidate. That may still be the case, but Vrabel looks to have his eyes on another job in the AFC East. The Patriots have struggled under Jerod Mayo, as expected. More news has pointed to Robert Kraft giving his handpicked Bill Belichick successor more time, but the team also runs the risk of missing out on Vrabel for good if it passes on reopening its coaching job. Keeping Mayo could be costly from that perspective, as Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline indicates Vrabel is indeed interested in the Pats’ job.

Mayo said this week (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss) he and Pats ownership are “still on the same page,” and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo note the expectation remains for the Pats to give Mayo a second season to further prove himself. But doubts have lingered about the team’s Belichick successor for a bit, and the trio published this report before the Patriots endured a 40-7 home loss to the Chargers.

While the team did play the high-powered Bills close in Buffalo in Week 16, the Bolts loss continued to put New England’s upcoming decision under the microscope. After all, Mayo landed this job without a coaching search taking place. Kraft inserted language in Mayo’s contract that effectively circumvented the Rooney Rule, which requires two external minorities be interviewed. No Pats search commenced, keeping a Vrabel partnership — one mentioned during the time when it looked more like the Titans would dangle their HC in trades — off the table.

Vrabel, of course, enjoyed a decorated career with the Patriots. The 2001 free agent signee helped secure three Super Bowl titles for the Patriots, operating as a regular at linebacker and moonlighting as a Tom Brady red zone option. Brady’s past with Vrabel is again relevant, with the Raiders on the radar. Vrabel may not be too interested in that job, either, per Pauline. The Raiders have gone through a few HCs in recent years, with Mark Davis presently paying three (Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce). Vrabel and McDaniels are close, and the coveted candidate may not be too keen on taking a job not long after the Raiders fired McDaniels.

The Jets job also is not believe to appeal to Vrabel, with Pauline pointing to a scenario in which the free agent HC uses the team as leverage. With rumors of Woody Johnson engulfing the Jets, they have their work cut out for them as they begin their HC and GM searches. The team’s lack of a long-term QB also would hurt compared to where the Patriots now are.

Las Vegas’ setup also does not feature a quarterback like the one New England has, with Drake Maye showing flashes during this down Patriots season. The Raiders’ past two wins have also dropped them out of the top five in the projected draft order. With one week to go, the Patriots hold the No. 1 overall pick. Mayo said sitting Maye — which would hinder the team’s hopes of winning in Week 18 — is on the table, but has since pointed to the rookie QB playing against the Bills.

A Buffalo team locked into the AFC’s No. 2 seed could throw a wrench in any New England hopes of obtaining the 2025 top pick, and Mayo coaching for a win to help ensure he returns will work against the Pats — through a long-term lens, at least — Sunday as well. The Vrabel matter will loom through that game or until Kraft confirms Mayo will return.

The Patriots keeping Mayo would prevent a Vrabel reunion, and that will bring scrutiny due to how the organization handled its 2024 HC search. Vrabel, 49, figures to have options, so the Patriots may need to be fairly certain — perhaps through backchannel communication — that Vrabel would strongly consider them in order to can Mayo. This fairly radical decision would also deem Kraft’s succession plan a failure, something that will undoubtedly come up as the team considers its HC future. Nevertheless, the next several days will be interesting in Foxborough.

NFC Coaching Rumors: Cowboys, Vrabel, Johnson

December 31st, 2024 at 8:36pm CST by Ely Allen

After failing to make it past the Divisional Round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year as Cowboys head coach, Mike McCarthy entered the 2024 NFL season on a bit of a hot seat. Often that type of pressure comes externally from a disgruntled fan base or media criticism, but the fact that nearly the entire coaching staff, including McCarthy, was playing on the final year of their contracts didn’t help.

McCarthy is known for coaching playoff teams. In 13 years with the Packers, McCarthy took the team to the playoffs nine times. Green Bay did make it to four NFC Championship Games under McCarthy, advancing to (and winning) only one Super Bowl. In Dallas, McCarthy has seen similar regular season success followed by postseason struggles. After a 6-10 debut season with the Cowboys, McCarthy led the team to the playoffs with three straight 12-5 seasons. In those three postseason appearances, McCarthy’s squad has only won one game, failing to make any NFC Championship Game appearances.

According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, team owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones doesn’t believe the staff’s lame duck status was a distraction during a tumultuous 2024 campaign. In fact, Jones believes “people do better…when they don’t have a contract.” So far, Jones has been noncommittal on the future of McCarthy and his staff. He claimed in a recent interview that he doesn’t feel that he’s “under any unusual time frame at all.”

Jones doesn’t seem to have made much of an indication at all hinting at whether or not he sees McCarthy returning, and at the moment, he doesn’t appear to be in any hurry to make such a decision.

Here are a few other coaching rumors coming out of the NFC:

In an interview on the Rich Eisen Show, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer tabbed Browns coaching and personnel consultant Mike Vrabel as a name to watch for the Giants‘ likely opening head coaching position. After his first head coaching stint with the Titans came to an end, Vrabel was unable to secure another gig, settling at the time for a minor role in Cleveland. Breer believes that New York has an advantage in securing Vrabel’s services, thinking that Vrabel’s likely picks for general manager (Ryan Cowden) and defensive coordinator (Shane Bowen) are already in house. Cowden was vice president of player personnel (and interim general manager) during Vrabel’s tenure in Tennessee and now serves as executive advisor to the general manager in New York. Fired alongside Vrabel in Tennessee, Bowen went from one defensive coordinator job to the other, coaching the Giants’ unit this season. Though the season is not yet over for Cleveland, head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that Vrabel’s contract was amended in order “to allow him to get a jumpstart” on interviews, per ESPN’s Tony Grossi.
In another interview, this one with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Good Morning Football, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was discussed. According to Pelissero, Johnson’s likeliest destination in 2025 remains Chicago. Johnson is looking for a place at which he can build alignment and sustainable, long-term success, similar to what was built in Detroit. So far, all signs seem to be pointing to Johnson taking the intra-divisional job with the Bears, keeping in mind, of course, that him getting hired as head coach of Washington seemed like a sure thing last year before he made the decision to remain with the Lions. With Vrabel and Johnson being established as the two hot names for teams looking for a new skipper this offseason, we’ve seen their names connected to several teams. Breer recently reported a new connection, though, claiming that many see the Jaguars as a good fit for Johnson, should they part ways with Doug Pederson.

Mike Vrabel Rumored As Potential Raiders Frontrunner; Saints On Radar

December 30th, 2024 at 3:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the 2025 coaching carousel not viewed as especially deep, the chances of Mike Vrabel slipping through the cracks for a second straight year appear slim. Vrabel joins Lions HC Ben Johnson as the top candidates in this year’s pool, and multiple teams are being tied to the former Titans leader.

The Raiders have not fired Antonio Pierce, but that will be considered. If the team pulls the plug on Pierce after one season as full-time HC, Vrabel should be considered on the radar. Plenty around the NFL believe Vrabel would be the Las Vegas frontrunner if the team did fire Pierce, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Considering Vrabel and Tom Brady‘s past, it would not surprise if this became a landing spot to closely monitor.

For a minority owner, Brady appears set to hold substantial power in Vegas — both with regards to the team’s HC and QB searches — despite his role as a broadcaster. While Brady’s announcing gig could cause issues ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Mark Davis is prepared to lean on the all-time QB great during a pivotal offseason. Brady and Vrabel played together in New England for eight years, and Breer adds the ex-quarterback’s appearance at a Raiders practice late last season — when he was not yet a part-owner — signaled to some Vrabel would be on the team’s radar for the 2024 season.

As it turned out, no one hired Vrabel this year. Though, the Chargers are believed to have viewed him as their Jim Harbaugh backup plan. Vrabel, 49, closed out his consulting run with the Browns on Monday. His Cleveland contract expired, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, freeing him up for HC interviews before season’s end. Vrabel’s contract having this particular expiration date certainly points to the free agent coaching candidate wanting to explore an NFL return, and although a return to Ohio State surfaced recently, the former linebacker’s alma mater may well not have a job opening at season’s end.

Regardless, Breer adds Vrabel is leaving the Browns on good terms, as the sides separating now would allow Vrabel to conduct in-person interviews for HC positions before his competition. All coaches who are tied to other teams must wait until divisional-round week to begin meeting with teams, but unattached coaches can begin interviews for vacant jobs at any point. The Raiders do not have a vacancy presently, but other teams who do figure to be interested in Vrabel.

The Saints are one of three teams who can interview coaches now, having fired Dennis Allen weeks ago, and Breer adds Vrabel is on Mickey Loomis‘ radar. The 23rd-year GM is believed to be safe and free to run another coaching search. The Saints went with an in-house option to succeed Sean Payton, though the latter had not previously worked with Loomis when he was hired in 2006. Considering Allen’s struggles, Loomis casting a wider net this time around makes sense.

While interim HC Darren Rizzi is well-liked, it would be rather surprising if the Saints went with a second straight in-house promotion given the issues they have had since Payton left. Joe Brady having worked as a Payton assistant for two late-2010s seasons could be of note if the Saints prefer familiarity again, but the second-year Bills OC may have options as well. Lions DC Aaron Glenn, who coached the Saints’ DBs before heading to Detroit, is expected to factor into the team’s HC search prominently as well.

NFL Coaching Rumors: Vrabel, Desai, Falcons

December 29th, 2024 at 8:11pm CST by Ely Allen

Following his first head coaching stint in Tennessee, Mike Vrabel has been serving as a coaching and personnel consultant in Cleveland. His job with the Browns was obviously a last-second alternative after he attempted to go after another head coaching gig in the offseason and failed.

We had heard rumors back in January following the hiring of Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles that Vrabel was the second option for the job. That rumor was reiterated by Diana Russini of The Athletic recently. Vrabel had reportedly nailed his interview with the Chargers, and there was legitimate concern that Harbaugh might have backed out of the agreement to become head coach. Unfortunately for Vrabel, Harbaugh returned to the NFL, leaving Vrabel in a quick search for work.

The next head coaching cycle should give Vrabel a bit more time to find a job, and according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, he may not be the only one who departs. Kay claims that, should Vrabel leave for his next head coaching gig in 2025, there’s an expectation that he will attempt to bring pass game specialist and tight ends coach Tommy Rees with him.

Rees doesn’t have much NFL experience. Starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Northwestern, Rees spent one season as an offensive assistant for the Chargers in 2016 before going back to the collegiate ranks. He spent three seasons as Notre Dame’s quarterbacks coach before earning the offensive coordinator title for three more years. Before joining Cleveland, he spent a single season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Alabama.

Here are a couple other coaching rumors from around the NFL:

Another coach who took a small role in 2024 was former NFL defensive coordinator Sean Desai. Desai has spent two separate seasons as a coordinator in the NFL, both times failing to retain his position into the next year. After being fired by the Eagles following the loss of six of their final seven games, Desai took the role of senior defensive assistant with the Rams, calling the scout team defense against the team’s offense in practice. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Desai is expected to be a hot name in the upcoming cycle as a candidate to once again become a defensive coordinator.
In the realm of college, Falcons pass game specialist Chandler Whitmer has been hired to serve as the quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator for Indiana in 2025, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. He is set to replace Tino Sunseri who will take the opportunity to call plays at UCLA next year. Whitmer brings four years of NFL experience, previously working as a quality control coach with quarterbacks for the Chargers. He also spent time as a graduate assistant with Clemson and Ohio State. This will be his first job as a full-time position coach.

Patriots Likely To Retain HC Jerod Mayo

December 22nd, 2024 at 10:23am CST by Ben Levine

DECEMBER 22: In contrast to Breer’s report that “all bets are off” as far as Mayo’s job security is concerned, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirms that Kraft wants to keep Mayo and believes the first-year HC is the right long-term leader for the franchise (video link). Rapoport acknowledges that a collapse over the final three games of the season could change Kraft’s thinking, but otherwise Mayo appears to be safe.

Mayo attempted to do some damage control with respect to the perception that he publicly slighted Van Pelt, and per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, multiple veterans have privately offered support for Mayo. Those players note that the locker room remains united, and that the team has been more competitive than its 3-11 record would suggest.

In a public interview, veteran defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. said, “there’s a lot of coaches whose first year isn’t that good and they go on to do great things … [Mayo] always brings high energy, always does a good job coaching guys while critiquing them and motivating them at the same time. Yes, we want to have more wins. That’s obvious. But at the same time, what he is doing I think will work out in the future.”

DECEMBER 16: Jerod Mayo added another loss to his resume yesterday, leading to renewed talks of his job status heading into the offseason. Before yesterday’s ugly outing vs. the Cardinals, Dianna Russini of The Athletic deemed Mayo safe, noting that Robert Kraft has privately committed to the head coach beyond the 2024 campaign.

Russini adds that Kraft is willing to give Mayo the “time and resources” needed to “grow into the role,” a common sentiment among owners with unsuccessful first-year coaches. The team understood that Mayo would have a “steep learning curve,” and things would certainly operate differently after Bill Belichick ran the show for decades. Russini notes that the Patriots organization still believes in Mayo’s coaching prowess, although it sounds like team brass are still waiting for him to find his coaching identity.

A source shared similar sentiments to Josina Anderson, claiming that Mayo wouldn’t be one-and-done in New England. The source preached patience, pointing to Dan Campbell’s 4-19 start in Detroit. The Patriots still have a shot at finishing with the league’s worst record, and the team’s performance over the next few weeks could change the thinking around Mayo, but Anderson’s source was clear that there was “never any consideration” to firing the coach after only one season. Similarly, ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes that it would be a “surprise” if the team suddenly moved on from Mayo (along with executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf).

Riding a three-game losing streak into the bye, the week off seemed to temporarily quiet talks of Mayo’s job status. It only took one game for the hot seat to fire back up, with Albert Breer of SI.com saying today that “all bets are off” following yesterday’s debacle (via Yahoo’s Darren Hartwell). Mayo drew the scrutiny of pundits after seemingly throwing OC Alex Van Pelt under the bus, and those comments may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Breer points to former Titans coach Mike Vrabel as a potential option, noting that ownership may have to get bold if they want to take their “one shot” at the former Patriots star.

Mayo and his squad have shown only brief stretches of success this season. After winning the season opener, the team lost a tight overtime game to the Seahawks in Week 2 (although Mayo drew some criticism for his decision making in that loss). Then, between Week 8 and Week 10, the Patriots won two games and lost another in overtime. Otherwise, the Patriots have barely sniffed a win, and the team’s active four-game losing streak has been especially ugly. With two showdowns against the Bills looming, it could somehow get even uglier, and an embarrassing end to the season could also mark the end of Mayo’s short-lived tenure as Patriots head coach.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Mike Vrabel Latest: McDaniels, Rees, Cowden, Ohio State

December 18th, 2024 at 4:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

After being shut out during this year’s HC interview cycle, Mike Vrabel is expected to resurface as one of the top candidates in 2025. Vrabel has built considerable momentum considering where his stock was coming off his Titans firing, to the point staff options are starting to emerge in connection with the second-chance HC aspirant.

Vrabel has already been connected to the Bears, Jets and Patriots. It would stand to reason the six-year HC veteran will take a few interviews. Unlike former mentor Bill Belichick, Vrabel appears likely to become an NFL head coach again soon.

Prior to what could be a blitz of Vrabel rumors over the next several weeks, SI.com’s Albert Breer connected him to two offensive coordinator options during an interview with ESPN 1000‘s Kap & J.Hood; h/t Yardbarker.com. Browns pass-game specialist Tommy Rees is coming up in connection with a Vrabel hire, while Breer adds Josh McDaniels — whose Patriots tenure overlapped with Vrabel’s linebacker run in New England — is also being mentioned as a potential Vrabel OC.

Vrabel has worked as a Browns consultant this year, doing so while Rees has served as the team’s QBs coach. Rees previously spent three years as Notre Dame’s OC and was Alabama’s offensive play-caller in Nick Saban’s final season. Rees is just 32 and has been an NFL staffer for one year, but he certainly brings worthwhile college credentials.

A veteran of the HC interview circuit, McDaniels appears highly unlikely to be asked to lead a team again. His one season leading an offense away from the Patriots (a 2011 Rams gig) did not go well, either. But McDaniels being onboard during Tom Brady‘s rise and again during the legend’s extended run in his 30s and 40s should keep him in conversations. Though, the ex-Raiders coach did not partake in any known interviews following that firing. McDaniels and Vrabel overlapped in New England from 2001-08, and Breer notes the Cleveland-area natives have maintained a relationship since. McDaniels makes for a natural North Carolina OC candidate, seeing as he helped his former boss pick a destination in recent weeks. But McDaniels has not coached in college since 1999.

Vrabel, 49, is also being loosely tied to one of his former Titans coworkers. Not every team looking to hire a head coach will be in the GM market; the Bears are not, and it does not look like the Saints are firing Mickey Loomis. But the Jets are; the Jaguars may be in this boat soon, too. If a GM slot is available, Breer adds Ryan Cowden could be a name to watch. Cowden took a job with the Giants after his interim GM stay with the Titans wrapped. Vrabel wanted Cowden to be named full-time GM in Tennessee, with that being among the causes of friction between the then-Titans HC and ownership.

An interesting competitor could emerge for Vrabel as well. Ryan Day’s Ohio State status may depend on how the Buckeyes fare in the upcoming playoff, and Graziano adds rumblings have pegged Vrabel as a top candidate if that job becomes open. Vrabel is an Ohio State alum who coached under Urban Meyer from 2011-13, between his retirement as a player and debut as an NFL assistant.

Belichick looks to have taken the North Carolina job because no surefire NFL landing spot would reveal itself. Vrabel, however, probably has a much better shot to land a job soon. Though, it will be interesting to see where Ohio State — should the Big Ten power move on from Day — would fall in Vrabel’s pecking order.

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