The talking heads of the national NFL media have declared the New York Jets’ 2024 season officially over, which means it’s already time to start talking about who should be their next head coach.
ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show – which spends more time talking about the Jets than any other national show, due to the weekly appearance of Aaron Rodgers – proclaimed loud-and-clear who they think should take the reins for the Gotham Green in 2025.
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“They need to go hire [Mike] Vrabel,” said host Ty Schmit. “He’s a guy who can come in and actually establish a culture. … They haven’t had anyone, since Rex Ryan really, who’s established a culture. … I think they need to get someone in there who has an established program. You can’t just get one of these OCs who’s the hot new name who has never had a head coaching job before. They have a bunch of talent in place on the defense, we always hear how good their defense is. Go hire Vrabel.”
Former NFL linebacker A.J. Hawk, the all-time leading tackler for the Packers and a former teammate of Aaron Rodgers, agreed.
“He has a presence about him. Vrabs has a presence about him that I think does well in the New York setting. He’s brash.”
McAfee focused on the entertainment aspect of the potential hire. “His press conferences would be awesome,” said the former WrestleMania competitor who moonlighted as an NFL punter.
Vrabel spent six seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans (2018-23). He compiled a 54-45 regular season record (.545) and led the team to three playoff trips, going 2-3 in the playoffs. Both playoff wins came during a magical 2019 run in which the 9-7 Titans won road games against the Patriots and Ravens to reach the AFC Championship Game, where they held a 10-0 lead over Kansas City before eventually falling short.
After being fired by Tennessee following the 2023 season, Vrabel was hired by the Cleveland Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant.
Vrabel is one of the most widely discussed options for the Jets’ upcoming head coach vacancy. In Tennessee, Vrabel was known for molding the Titans into one of the NFL’s most notoriously physical teams in the trenches. Tennessee ran the ball often and ran it well, while on the defensive side, they consistently ranked as one of the league’s best teams at stopping the run. Ultimately, over the course of Vrabel’s six-year tenure, the Titans had the NFL’s second-best rushing YPG margin (+33.1).
Vrabel was the Houston Texans’ defensive coordinator before he was hired by Tennessee, but as the Titans’ head coach, Vrabel did not call plays. He served in a CEO-type role, similar to the one that Robert Saleh played for the Jets. In terms of the style of coach, the Jets would be making a lateral move by going from Saleh to Vrabel. However, Vrabel had far more success with this coaching style than Saleh. He took over a Titans team that lacked identity and gave them a defined style of play that led to sustained success. When you played the Mike Vrabel-led Titans, you knew you were in for a gritty, physical game.
Tennessee had only made the playoffs once in its past nine seasons before Vrabel took over; he led them to three trips in his first four seasons. Vrabel also led the Titans to two seasons with double-digit wins after they had previously failed to hit the mark since 2008.
It’s only November 15, and Vrabel is already gaining steam both within the Jets’ fanbase and on national television. Prepare to hear his name come up frequently over the next two months.
