January 3, 2025
As the Jets continue their head coaching search, they have now interviewed a second candidate, Mike Vrabel.
Mike Vrabel, one of the top candidates in this head coaching cycle, recently saw his contract as a coaching and personnel consultant with the Browns expire on Monday. This means he is now eligible to interview with teams for a head coaching position.
Vrabel was the head coach of the Titans for six seasons, from 2018 to 2023. During that time, he compiled a 54-45 record. In that span, Vrabel led the Titans to two AFC South titles and three playoff appearances.
2021 was his most successful year as head coach. The Titans finished 12-5, won the AFC South, and earned the #1 seed in the AFC, which helped Vrabel win Coach of the Year honors at the NFL Awards.
The 49-year-old has a 2-3 record in the postseason, with his two wins coming in 2019. That season, the Titans were the 6th seed and upset Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Wild Card round. In the next round, they knocked off the top-seeded Ravens, led by league MVP Lamar Jackson, before losing to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. In his next two playoff appearances, in 2020 and 2021, Vrabel's Titans lost to the Ravens in the Wild Card in 2020 and to the Bengals in the Divisional Round in 2021.
In 2022 and 2023, Vrabel posted a 13-21 record and was fired in January 2024. Those two seasons were marred by injuries and underperformance from players, and after disputes with the front office during the offseason, Vrabel was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Titans.
Mike Vrabel brings a culture and a toughness the Jets have been lacking for a while. Vrabel has been proven to be a respectable coach and a coach players want to play for.