The Raiders Appear To Have Made Decision On Mike Vrabel

01/09/2025 02:50 PM

Mike Vrabel is one of the hottest names on the NFL coaching market during this hiring cycle.

Vrabel, 49, who spent this season as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns, was previously a head coach with the Tennessee Titans from 2018-23. During that time, he went 54-45 overall with three playoffs appearances and one trip to the AFC Championship Game. Now, Vrabel has interviewed with, or is scheduled to speak with, the New York Jets, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears.

One team that does not appear to be pursuing Vrabel is the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday, and after originally saying that general manager Tom Telesco was sticking around, reversed course and fired him on Thursday.

According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders do not have a meeting set up with Vrabel. The former NFL linebacker has some built-in connections with the Raiders, most notably with Tom Brady and Richard Seymour, who played with Vrabel in New England and are now minority owners in Las Vegas.

However, it looks like he's not on their radar, at least at the moment.

Vrabel is interviewing with the Patriots today, and is reportedly the frontrunner for the position. 

"There's no guarantee most years that other free-agent coaches would have any interest in the Patriots. But Vrabel would," Chad Graff if The Athletic wrote last month. "He could return to the franchise where he became a three-time Super Bowl champion as a driving force of the first dynasty."

The Patriots have already fulfilled the requirements of the Rooney Rule, interviewing two Black candidates on Wednesday, so they are able to make a head coaching hire whenever ready.

Stay tuned. Meanwhile, the Raiders situation is intriguing, given Brady's reported heavy involvement in the process.

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