The best head coaching candidate hit the market today. No, Bill Belichick hasn't been relieved of his duties (yet?). After back-to-back losing seasons, the Titans decided to fire Mike Vrabel after six years with the franchise.
Tennessee owner Amy Adams Strunk's statement read in part, "As the NFL continues to innovate and evolve, I believe the teams best positioned for sustained success will be those who empower an aligned and collaborative team across all football functions..."
That is a telling line. Vrabel had worked hand-in-hand with former Patriot executive Jon Robinson during four-and-a-half years before Adams Strunk pulled the plug on Robinson midway through last season. Per one source, Vrabel believed Ryan Cowden, the interim after Robinson, or another former Patriot, Monti Ossenfort (now Arizona GM) would likely assume the vacant GM job this offseason, but instead, Ran Carthon, with no ties to the incumbent head coach, was put into power, and Cowden ended up in New York with the Giants. On several occasions, those two - Vrabel and Carthon - tried to present a unified front. Still, based on today's actions, it is clear that the owner didn't believe Vrabel would/could form a harmonious relationship with Carthon, and thus, the somewhat surprising move.
From what I can gather, putting together the timeline of the last 24 hours, Vrabel believed he was coming back until he sat down with Adams Strunk. It was then that the owner decided that she couldn't move forward with the 48-year-old and Carthon as a duo and chose to go with a man who has a minimal track record of being in power (Carthon has been a GM for less than a year) versus Vrabel, who had the Titans in the AFC title game in January of 2020. She chose the unknown versus the known. Time will tell if that was the right decision, though Vrabel detractors will point to the last two seasons, 7-10 and 6-11, and say, much as we have here in New England, that the arrow was pointed in the wrong direction.
Before, in 2020 and 2021, the Titans were AFC South champions, and they were the number one seed in the postseason heading into '21 but lost a home game to the Bengals, who came within a whisker of winning the Super Bowl.
To the best of my knowledge and reporting at this time, Vrabel had two years remaining on his contract. That would mean that there would be offsets if a team hired him. In other words, he wouldn't cost as much. That's always appealing. It should also be noted that those close to Vrabel have told me that while he may be disappointed with his dismissal, he wasn't enamored with the setup and is looking forward to continuing his coaching career.
There are ties to the Patriots. The Krafts know him well, and his Hall of Fame weekend in Foxborough was quite the lovefest that went far beyond former teammates, coaches, and fans. Robert and Jonathan were front and center. Some of the reporting, be it from Bedard or other outlets (Bedard first), believe Vrabel would be intrigued by a return here, and the franchise, in turn, would put him at or near the top of the list.
And speaking of that weekend, I would be remiss if I didn't bring back part of his halftime speech.
"Come on," he smiled and said to the crowd as they cheered loudly. "We got a game to win. I can't be up here too long.
"I haven't been back as much as I should since 2009, but I want to thank the fans who made playing in this stadium unbelievably special. When we traveled, you were there. When we were here, you were there. I can imagine how you screamed and yelled during night games on third down, then you threw the snow.
"I don't want you to take this organization for granted. I've been a lot of places, this is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, and great coaching. Enjoy it; it's not like this everywhere."
Depending on what happens with Belichick, Vrabel may get the opportunity to experience that again, just in a different role and from a different vantage point.