Rumored to have Mike Vrabel excessive on their record of potential head coaches, the Jets have an essential assembly arrange on Friday. They’ll meet with the previous Titans HC at their facility, The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt reports.
Vrabel’s consulting contract with the Browns expired this week, allowing him to meet with teams at any point. Candidates still tied to teams are not yet permitted to conduct interviews — virtually or onsite. Vrabel can as a coaching free agent, and he will take advantage of that status.
Vrabel, 49, has become expectedly popular on what is considered to be a thinner coaching carousel. A mid-December report tabbed him as the Jets’ preferred candidate. Since, he has been tied to the Patriots, Raiders and Saints. Whereas the New England job is believed to be one he would strongly consider, the Pats are usually not dedicated to creating Jerod Mayo a one-and-done. The Raiders have additionally not dedicated to firing Antonio Pierce, however Vrabel’s previous with Tom Brady — the broadcaster/minority proprietor who is anticipated to play a lead function within the AFC West crew’s offseason — has tripped alarms across the league regarding a potential fit.
The Browns recruited Vrabel to help out this season, as either side discovered from the opposite occasion’s differing model. Vrabel aided the analytically geared group each in follow and on gamedays, with Rosenblatt indicating the previous Titans HC started touring to Browns street video games across the midseason level. Vrabel labored with each Cleveland’s tight ends and offensive line, transitioning to the latter space throughout the 12 months. Browns brass additionally picked Vrabel’s mind relating to personnel.
Rumors concerning the Jets needing to overpay to acquire a high-end HC candidate have surfaced. Woody Johnson‘s meddling grew to become maybe their defining 2024 story. The proprietor usually made his voice recognized in personnel issues, from firing Robert Saleh with out consulting GM Joe Douglas to interceding on trades and free company issues. Madden-based decisions involving his teenage sons grew to become essentially the most memorable component of an eventful year for the Jets owner, who’s a part of an HC hiring course of for the primary time since 2015, having served in Donald Trump’s presidential administration.
Johnson is not expected to return to the Trump administration, calling his function with the Jets into query. Vrabel clashed with Titans proprietor Amy Adams Strunk during the final stretch of his Titans tenure and will have a number of affords, giving the Jets a doubtlessly uphill battle to combat, given Johnson’s involvement. They’re, nevertheless, not dedicated to constructing their subsequent power structure around a GM or a head coach. Given Vrabel’s inventory, he might have a notable voice in personnel issues to take a job. Roster management loomed as one of Vrabel’s issues with Adams Strunk, and Rosenblatt provides HC interviews final 12 months concerned groups questioning if he might successfully collaborate with a GM.
“There’s got to be clear communication with ownership, so that we understand as coaches what the expectations are,” Vrabel said, via Rosenblatt. “That’s so we can explain to them what’s reasonable, what we can do, what we probably can do and what we’re going to try to do — or die trying. I want to have a structure in place that people see the game the same way I do from an X’s-and-O’s standpoint, from a personnel standpoint, with team-building. We would hopefully have that alignment, which is critical.
“And I would like to be able to say that there’s a quarterback that you feel like you can win with — or that there’s a path to find the one that you can win with.”
Vrabel will follow Ron Rivera in interviewing with the Jets, who have regularly hired defensive-minded HCs (Saleh, Todd Bowles, Rex Ryan and Eric Mangini among them) during Johnson’s ownership tenure. Arthur Smith is also believed to be in play for the job, but unattached names will have the first shot at speaking with the team, which must eventually meet with two external minority candidates to satisfy the Rooney Rule.
