With the 2023-24 NFL regular season over, many teams have begun their offseason. The Tennessee Titans are one of them, and they have made the surprising decision to fire head coach Mike Vrabel.
The decision came after the Titans finished the season with a 6-11 record, the worst in the AFC South. How is the NFL world reacting to the move?
How Is the NFL World Reacting to Mike Vrabel’s Firing?
Vrabel was hired by the Titans back in 2018. In his time there, he’d compiled a 56-48 record, including a 2-3 record in the postseason. In 2021, Vrabel was named NFL Coach of the Year when the Titans went 12-5 and held the AFC’s top seed.
However, 2023 was the worst season under Vrabel, and 2022 was also a significant letdown. In those two years, the Titans went 13-21. Contrarily, they’d gone 23-10 in the two years prior. Tennessee also had four consecutive winning seasons after Vrabel arrived.
“I appreciate Mike’s contributions to the Tennessee Titans both on and off the field. We wish Mike, Jen, and the Vrabel family nothing but the best in the future,” said Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk in a statement.
“As I told Coach Vrabel, this decision was as difficult as any I’ve made as controlling owner.”
#Titans part ways with head coach Mike Vrabel
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) January 9, 2024
The Titans’ search for a new head coach will likely be led by general manager Ran Carthon, who was hired following the 2022-23 season. Carthon had spent six seasons with the 49ers from 2017-22 and could certainly take a look into someone from that organization as the team’s next head coach.
“Terrible Decision. Making me question if we need someone else to buy the team,” said one fan on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“Y’all are going to be poverty for the entirety of time, this is top 5 worst decisions ever made in Titans history,” said another fan.
The move didn’t only surprise and anger fans, but players as well.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Titans RB Derrick Henry was caught off guard. “”Wow. Wow. I’m shocked. Coach Vrabel is a leader of men,” said Henry. “He is a great coach and teacher. I know he will get another opportunity right away. I look forward to it.”
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The Titans had the option to trade Vrabel for draft capital but believed it was too complicated and would take too long, according to Russini. Tennessee wanted to move on quickly.
Despite being fired, it’s unlikely Vrabel will be without a job for long. If the New England Patriots are to part ways with Bill Belichick as rumored, Vrabel could be in line to take his spot. Vrabel played for the Patriots under Belichick from 2001-2008 and was recently inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, even referring to the Patriots as “We.”
Additionally, there are other head coaching jobs available around the league with Vrabel likely as one of the top candidates available. He could also return to being a defensive coordinator, which was his last position with the Houston Texans in 2017 before joining the Titans.
Since Vrabel is fired and no longer employed by an NFL team, there are no restrictions on when he can be interviewed for a new job. Normally, coaches cannot be interviewed until the following Tuesday or Wednesday of their team’s final game, all the way up until the Divisional Round.
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