Former Titans head coach linked to polarizing 2025 opening

On By Littum

The Tennessee Titans parted ways with Mike Vrabel last season and moved on to the Brian Callahan era. Vrabel didn’t end up being hired to coach another team in 2024, but that probably won’t be the case in 2025. In fact, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer thinks he knows perfect fit for the former Titans head coach.

In Breer’s weekly mailbag column, a user asked which retreads were likely to be considered for the New York Jets’ head coaching opening. The user even mentioned Vrabel in his question, noting, “I don’t think Vrabel is coming,” which then led Breer to state that he thinks Vrabel would be a good fit for the Jets.

“Mike Vrabel makes the most sense to me, mostly because he won’t bow down to an owner, and that’s exactly what the New York Jets need. The problem, of course, is what you alluded to, which is that most coaches can suffer. who will not work for the owner Woody Johnson.”

Vrabel had tremendous success while coaching the Titans, posting winning seasons in his first four years and leading Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game in just his second year on the job. In the 2021 season with Ryan Tannehill as his quarterback, Vrabel helped lead the Titans to the number one seed in the AFC playoffs.

Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there. The Titans lost in the first round of the postseason that year and did not make the big dance in 2022 or 2023. The front office decided it was time for a change after a disappointing 6-11 record in 2023, and Vrabel was relieved of his duties .

While Vrabel took the year off from coaching, he still works in the NFL, serving as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns. That said, teams will be interested in interviewing Vrabel after the success he had in Nashville, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land a head coaching job in 2025.

The Jets could make sense for Vrabel for the reason Breer listed. He won’t take crap from anyone above him and the Jets need some tough love. As Breer also said, however, the Jets owner could scare away some potential candidates. Would Vrabel be interested in trying to turn around the Jets, who haven’t made the playoffs since the 2010 season?

We’ll have to see how the offseason pans out for the former Titans head coach.