Another NFL head coaching vacancy was added to the growing list Tuesday morning when it was announced that the Tennessee Titans had relieved Mike Vrabel of his duties. That makes six current head coaching vacancies (while we await Bill Belichick’s decision) in the league, and the names of potential candidates to fill the positions make this one of the most interesting hiring cycles we’ve seen in the league. recent memory.
NFL Odds: Mike MacDonald is the favorite for Titans job
The Titans have fired head coach Mike Vrabel, according to sources.
Vrabel led Tennessee to four consecutive winning seasons after arriving in 2018, but the Titans have experienced back-to-back frustrating seasons, finishing several games below .500 both times.
– Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2024
Vrabel’s firing may surprise some. The Titans struggled the last two seasons, but Vrabel was one of the league’s most successful coaches during his first four years with the team. Tennessee made three consecutive playoff appearances between 2019 and 2021, and reached the AFC Championship in 2020, the season before winning the NFL Coach of the Year award.
So where do the Titans go from here? Here are some of the more interesting names listed on BetOnline’s odds board for who will be the next head coach at Tennessee:
Mike MacDonald (+300)
Bettors say the Titans will most likely continue with a defensive-minded approach. The leader of the board is current Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald, who figures to be one of the most attractive candidates available during this year’s cycle. He has been in his current position for the past two seasons and has been with the Ravens organization since 2014, aside from the year he took over as defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan.
MacDonald, 36, would be the youngest head coach in the NFL if hired.
Bill Belichick (+400)
Could the Patriots and Titans essentially trade coaches? No concrete decision has been made regarding Bill Belichick’s future in New England, but there is a lot of speculation that he will be fired and that Vrabel would be the obvious replacement. But are the Titans the NFL team Belichick would want to continue his historic career with? There will be a lot of interest in the Hall of Fame coach if he is fired, and he will likely be able to choose which situation suits him best.
Bobby Slowik (+500)
Slowik is actually a few days younger than Mike MacDonald, so if the current Houston Texans offensive coordinator is hired, he will be the youngest coach in the NFL. Slowik spent much of his career with Kyle Shanahan, first with the Redskins as a defensive assistant and then with the 49ers in various offensive roles after spending a few years as a PFF analyst. He parted ways last year but remained in the same coaching tree, following DeMeco Ryans to Houston for the 2023 season.
