Tag: Mike Vrabel

Mike Vrabel ‘was never in serious consideration’ for Commanders job

An unnamed executive also shared his thoughts on why Mike Vrabel wasn’t going to be hired by the Commanders.

Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel will have to wait another year for a chance at being an NFL head coach after all of the openings dried up, with the Washington Commanders’ vacancy being the last one.

While Vrabel received interest from the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers, Vrabel didn’t get an interview with Washington before the team settled on Dan Quinn as its next head coach.

As it turns out, he was never even considered for the job, which was obvious because of the lack of an interview.

Why? Well, an unnamed NFC executive told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Ben Standig that Commanders general manager Adam Peters was never going to hire Vrabel because he was fired by the Titans, a team now led by general manager Ran Carthon, who used to work with Peters in San Fran.

“The Commanders passed on Vrabel because of (Titans GM) Ran Carthon,” the exec said. “He fired (Vrabel). Adam Peters was not going to hire the coach that his friend just fired. That’s how this works sometimes.”

To be clear, the decision to fire Vrabel was owner Amy Adams Strunk’s and not Carthon’s, at least based on everything we know about the situation.

This report comes on the heels of Russini shedding some light on why Vrabel didn’t land a head-coaching gig in this cycle.

“I don’t think there was a fit for him,” Russini said on The Athletic Football Show. “I don’t think he sat in front of any owner who thought that his style was going to work for what they were looking for…”

“I had a GM at the Senior Bowl who mentioned to me Vrabel’s physical build,” she added. “That he’s a very large human being. And can be very intimidating to people in an organization that are going to be part of these decisions. And that is a factor.”

It was thought that Vrabel would land another job quickly, but clearly teams around the NFL didn’t value him the same way.

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NFL reporter explains why Mike Vrabel didn’t get hired for HC job

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini gave insight into why Mike Vrabel didn’t land a head-coaching job this offseason.

When the Tennessee Titans fired head coach Mike Vrabel, it was thought he would be unemployed for a very brief amount of time. In fact, some (myself included, admittedly) thought the Titans could get something for him in a trade.

Instead, Vrabel didn’t land any of the other seven head-coaching gigs, which led many to wonder why after he was so highly touted in the media.

Well, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini shed some light on why in a recent spot on The Athletic Football Show (H/T James Foster of No Flags Film).

Russini said she thinks there simply wasn’t a fit for him because of his style, while also adding that, believe it or not, his physical size may have played a role in his inability to get another job.

“I don’t think there was a fit for him,” Russini said. “I don’t think he sat in front of any owner who thought that his style was going to work for what they were looking for…”

“I had a GM at the Senior Bowl who mentioned to me Vrabel’s physical build,” she added. “That he’s a very large human being. And can be very intimidating to people in an organization that are going to be part of these decisions. And that is a factor.”

You can check out the entire clip of Russini’s comments below.

Now I’ve really heard it all.

I would venture to guess that the biggest problem Vrabel faced was the fact that he’s more of an old-school coach when it comes to his philosophy on offense.

But he can also be very abrasive and stingy, two qualities that don’t make for the best head coach in this day and age when collaboration is becoming more and more important to teams.

Vrabel garnered interviews with three teams during this most recent cycle, with the list including the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers.

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NFL coach roundup: No head coach jobs left for Bill Belichick

All of the NFL’s head coach openings have been filled and Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel remain available.

The NFL’s final two head coach openings have been filled.

The Seattle Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and the Washington Commanders are hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their head coaches.

That means there are no head coach jobs available for Bill Belichick or Mike Vrabel. It’s a surprising development, but both coaches should land on their feet with time.

A dream scenario for a team like the Denver Broncos might be bringing in one of Belichick or Vrabel as a defensive coordinator, but that seems unlikely. The Broncos appear to be moving forward with Vance Joseph as their DC, and Belichick will presumably take a year hiatus from coaching, similar to what Sean Payton did in 2022.

Speaking of DC jobs, there’s good news on that front for Denver.

Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker interviewed for DC openings with the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers, but the Pats (DeMarcus Covington) and Packers (Jeff Hafley) are expected to hire other candidates. That presumably means Parker won’t be leaving Denver.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Broncos are bringing in former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, likely in a senior assistant role.

Elsewhere on the coaching front, ex-Denver coach Vic Fangio parted with the Miami Dolphins in a lateral move to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ DC. And Joe DeCamillis, who won Super Bowl 50 as a coordinator with the Broncos, has been hired by South Carolina as their new special teams coordinator.

The Broncos have made one addition (Carmichael) to the coaching staff, but no coaches have been fired so far, at least not that we’re aware of. It appears that Sean Payton will bring back most of his 2023 staff in 2024.

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11 candidates for Cowboys vacant defensive coordinator position

The Cowboys are in need of fresh perspective in the defensive coordinator role, but it may be a difficult fill. 11 candidates, both internal and external. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Cowboys are in a unique situation now. They are going to have to find a new defensive coordinator after the departure of Dan Quinn. Quinn became Washington’s new head coach, and will have a playground to work with that includes $63 million in cap space and the No. 2 overall selection in a QB-heavy draft class.

That Dallas needs to replace a coordinator isn’t a big deal. The fact that their head coach is going into the final year of his contract without an extension is what makes things difficult. Defensive assistants in positive environments, or with a bunch of opportunities, might hesitate to pack up their lives (and families) for what might be a one-and-done.

On the other hand, veteran defensive minds might look at this as an opportunity to audition for one of the most famous sports jobs in America. Theoretically, a coach with experience would be in line to be at worst an interim hire should things go bad for Mike McCarthy’s offense and an in-season firing happened. They’d at least get consideration for the gig were Dallas to move on from McCarthy at the end of the 2024 season.

And if there’s success? Then the DC would be in running for head coach job elsewhere in 2025. With that in mind, here’s a collection of names —both internal and external —that could be on Jerry Jones and company’s radar as the interview process convenes.

Mike Vrabel officially out of options for a head-coaching gig in 2024

With all vacancies filled, Mike Vrabel will have to wait until 2025 for another chance at a head-coaching gig.

When the Tennessee Titans fired head coach Mike Vrabel, it was assumed he would find a job quickly. However, he’s officially going to have to wait another year for a head-coaching gig.

The last team standing in terms of needing a head coach was the Washington Commanders, but they have reportedly hired Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

There were a total of eight head-coach openings in this cycle, with one of them being the Titans. Vrabel had interviews with three of the other seven teams, including the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons.

I was among those who initially criticized owner Amy Adams Strunk for not exploring a trade for Vrabel, but clearly I was wrong and that was the right decision.

If no team was willing to hire Vrabel when he was a free agent, they certainly wouldn’t have traded premium draft capital for him.

And, not waiting on a trade prevented the Titans from missing out on some of the top options out there, one of which was the head coach the team ultimately hired, Brian Callahan.

This is not to say that Vrabel won’t eventually land another gig, but obviously we overestimated how desired he was around the league.

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Do the Commanders have a mystery head coaching candidate?

Four of the initial eight candidates to interview with Washington remain available.

And then there was one.

After the Seattle Seahawks agreed to terms with Mike Macdonald, the former Ravens defensive coordinator, on Wednesday to become their new head coach, the Washington Commanders were the only remaining head coaching vacancy.

On Tuesday, the perceived top candidate, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, surprised everyone by withdrawing his name. Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who interviewed with Washington, was announced as returning to Houston. It’s unknown how serious of a candidate Slowik was for the Commanders.

Washington fans clamored for Macdonald. There wasn’t as much enthusiasm for Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

Entering this week, we know that Washington has interviewed the following eight candidates:

  • Lions OC Ben Johnson (remaining in Detroit)
  • Lions DC Aaron Glenn
  • Ravens DC Mike Macdonald (Seattle)
  • Ravens AHC/DL coach Anthony Weaver
  • Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy
  • Texans OC Bobby Slowik (remaining in Houston)
  • Rams DC Raheem Morris (Atlanta)
  • Cowboys DC Dan Quinn (Cowboys)

So, if we go by this list, four candidates remain. How serious of a candidate is Bieniemy? Or was this a courtesy interview because he was in the organization last year?

By all accounts, Quinn, Weaver and Glenn are the final candidates. We’ve heard rave reviews about Quinn and Weaver, but if one of them is Washington’s guy, why haven’t they been hired?

What if there is another candidate we don’t know about? It’s not going to be Bill Belichick. What about Mike Vrabel? How about Dolphins OC Frank Smith? Is there someone else?

Could Peters be waiting to interview someone from Kansas City or San Francisco’s staff after the Super Bowl? The two logical candidates would be 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Since the Commanders are the only team remaining with a vacancy, they may not feel the urgency to get something done. But the new head coach will need to complete his coaching staff. And if Washington lands a defensive-minded coach — which looks like a certainty — it must land a quality offensive coordinator.

The Commanders could expand their search. However, that appears doubtful as all signs point to either Quinn, Glenn, or Weaver at this point.

Mike Vrabel on track to not land a head coach job in 2024

Not only has Mike Vrabel not gotten a job in two seconds like many thought, he may not get one at all.

When the Tennessee Titans fired their former head coach Mike Vrabel, it was automatically assumed that he “would have a job in two seconds” thanks to the idea that he was highly thought of in league circles.

However, not only has Vrabel not landed a job in two seconds, he may not land one at all in this cycle.

Vrabel has completed a pair of head coach interviews, one with the Atlanta Falcons and the other with the Los Angeles Chargers. Both of those jobs have since been taken by Raheem Morris and Jim Harbaugh, respectively.

Then, Vrabel was supposed to interview for the Carolina Panthers’ vacancy, but they ended up hiring Dave Canales on the same day the former Titans head coach was supposed to interview with them.

With those jobs no longer available, Vrabel’s options are down to two, assuming one of the playoff teams don’t end up having an opening.

There has been no indication that Vrabel is an option for the Washington Commanders, and while there have been reports about the Seattle Seahawks wanting to speak to him, we haven’t seen anything about an actual interview.

On the surface, it would appear that this is yet another case of fans and media placing a higher value on someone than actual teams are — and it won’t be the last, either.

Granted, I fully expect Vrabel to get another head coaching job at some point down the road, but it’s looking less and less likely that will happen in 2024.

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Bill Belichick a ‘long shot’ for Seahawks, Commanders head coach jobs

According to Patriots beat reporter Jeff Howe, Belichick is a long shot to land one of the two remaining head coach openings around the NFL: the Seahawks and the Commanders.

If we told you five years ago that Bill Belichick couldn’t get a job as an NFL head coach you rightfully might have called us crazy. However, that’s practically an eternity in a league that changes so much from season to season, and right now Belichick’s stock hasn’t been lower since the turn of the millenium.

According to Patriots beat reporter Jeff Howe, Belichick is a long shot to land one of the two remaining head coach openings around the NFL: the Seahawks and the Commanders.

Belichick remains one of the greatest defensive minds in the business and his New Engand teams remained elite on that side of the ball even as their offense fell apart without Tom Brady there to hold it together. However, his work as a GM never really measured up compared to what he did on the field, at least on one side of the ball. Under his reign, the Patriots literally never found a quality wide receiver in the draft and they were lacking at too many other positions to stay competitive in a now-brutal AFC East.

We expect that Belichick will be back in the league some day, but it appears it won’t be in 2024. He has not been among Seattle’s reported head coach candidates, nor Washington’s.

Speaking of the Seahawks, they have gone through two rounds of interviews with several coordinators around the NFL. While there’s been no reporting on who they might actually hire, they do seem to be leaning towards a defensive head coach.

It would be a nice surprise to get one of the young offensive Xs and Os mastermind coordinators around the league like Ben Johnson or Bobby Slowik, but our best guess is they will pick a more experienced, defense/motivational type coach like Dan Quinn or Mike Vrabel.

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Ross Tucker believes Ben Johnson would be a ‘slam-dunk hire’ for the Commanders

Ross Tucker raves about Ben Johnson, can’t believe Mike Vrabel, Bill Belichick didn’t land more interviews.

Ross Tucker is everywhere. The former NFL offensive lineman has a popular network of football podcasts and is an analyst for both NFL and college games. He works for numerous media outlets and is a frequent guest on some of Washington’s most popular radio shows.

On Thursday, Tucker was on “The Chris Russell Show” on Team 980 in Washington to preview this weekend’s AFC and NFC Championship games.

Tucker also discussed the wild coaching carousel. He cannot believe several teams have already hired their coaches without waiting to speak to Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald next week. Tucker calls Johnson and Macdonald his top two candidates.

Tucker was also perplexed that the Titans hired Brian Callahan and the Panthers hired Dave Canales without even interviewing the legendary Bill Belichick.

Furthermore, Tucker also couldn’t believe Mike Vrabel is still available, calling the former Titans coach “elite” and “excellent.”

The Washington Commanders need a head coach and are one of two teams — along with the Seahawks — with an opening.

NFL insiders have long believed Johnson is Washington’s top target. Tucker thinks that would be a phenomenal hire.

“Really, really like him,” Tucker said of Johnson. “In fact, everything he does screams Niners’ system or (Kyle) Shanahan system, except he’s never been it. But that’s what it looks like when you watch it. Very, very, very impressive.”

Commanders analyst Logan Paulsen noted something similar about Johnson. His offense is similar to Shanahan’s, and you’d think he’d coached under him at some point.

I think he’d be a slam-dunk hire. People wanted him last year, and he decided to stay. What I like about him is he’s kind of done it two years now, right? He wasn’t like a one-year assistant coach wonder like some of these other guys can be.” 

The longer this process plays out, it looks more and more like Johnson will be Washington’s head coach whenever Detroit’s season ends.

Report: Panthers ‘really high’ on 4 to 5 HC candidates

Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Panthers are “really high” on a handful of names in this year’s HC search.

This year’s head-coaching search has been heating up for the Carolina Panthers.

According to ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, the organization may be zeroing in on a handful of favorites. He wrote the following about the latest league-wide buzz on Thursday:

I’m hearing the Panthers have four or five candidates they are really high on. One is Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who interviewed Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte. Canales’ offense caught fire late in the season, his work with quarterbacks is strong, and he learned under Carroll for 13 years. The word is owner David Tepper is also intrigued by Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who is eligible to interview after this week. Evero — the in-house candidate — interviewed twice, and Carolina has long targeted Ben Johnson, though I haven’t heard much momentum there at this point. He’s going to have options.

Canales and Evero reportedly both received second, in-person interviews this week. Monken, meanwhile, has had one known interview and Johnson, whose Detroit Lions are prepping for the NFC title game, cannot speak with the team again until Jan. 29.

Fowler also notes that former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who is expected to meet with the Panthers today, could be a “wild card” candidate given how much owner David Tepper values leadership. Vrabel was dismissed after a six-year run in Tennessee, one that resulted in a 54-45 record and three playoff appearances.

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