One day after Black Monday, Mike Vrabel was fired from the Tennessee Titans after six seasons, one of which included a trip to the AFC Championship Game.
Vrabel made two more playoff appearances with the Titans and was the 2021 Coach of the Year. He went 54-45 overall in Nashville, including a disappointing 6-11 mark last season. While there has been speculation that Vrabel could be traded, The Athletic reported as much Tennessee was wary that a trade would be a very long process.
His dismissal comes after the Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith, who finished a third straight season at 7-10, with an overall record of 21-30 as head coach of the Falcons and did not make the playoffs.
Following Smith in the shooting rotation was Washington's captain, Ron Rivera.
Under Rivera, the Chiefs won the NFC East with a 7-9 record in 2020. They never improved after that, going 7-10 in 2021, 8-8-1 in 2022, and having an even worse 2023 at 4-13.
Who else will join Vrabel, Smith and Rivera in the search for a new job? Three other head coaches have already been fired this season: the Las Vegas Raiders' Josh McDaniels, the Carolina Panthers' Frank Reich, and the Los Angeles Chargers' coach Brandon Staley. In addition, two general managers, Dave Ziegler of the Raiders and Tom Telesco of the Chargers, were also let go.
Follow all the changes to some of the NFL's best careers right here with Yahoo Sports.
He lives42 updates
#Titans GM Ran Carthon says he and coach Mike Vrabel “haven't had any problems at all. We've been on a roll. I want to finally dispel that. I wish Vrabel nothing but the best. I consider him a friend.”
Cowboys VP Will McClay has two teams, the Captains and Chargers, asking for permission to talk to him about opening their front offices which multiple people have told @dmn_cowboys
Source: Previous #chargers GM Tom Telesco, who has presided over one of the most talented rosters for nearly a decade, will interview for the vacancy #Raiders GM function.
“As the NFL continues to innovate and evolve, I believe the teams best positioned for continued success are those that enable a cohesive, collaborative team across all functions of football.”
Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk's full statement on the decision to fire Mike Vrabel: pic.twitter.com/92sxTHrGKP
The Giants believed trading Vrabel was too complicated and would take too long, according to sources. They wanted to move forward quickly. I'm told that Vrabel never sought ownership of any trade or asked to move out of Tennessee.
Mike Vrabel was fired from the Titans after 6 seasons
Mike Vrabel was lauded as one of the best coaches in the NFL just two years ago. But everything is temporary in the NFL.
In a surprise, the Tennessee Titans responded to their second straight losing season by firing Vrabel. The Giants started 2-4 heading into the bye and didn't play much of a role in the playoff race after that. It was the rare season under Vrabel where the Giants didn't matter.
The Jaguars fired DC Mike Caldwell after their late-season collapse cost them a berth in the playoffs. Details here.
— Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown – Pirates assistant GM Mike Greenberg – Vice President of Football Operations Brandt Telles — Eagles Assistant General Manager Alec Halabi -Saints Assistant GM Khai Harley – Ravens Vice President of Football Administration Nick Mathieu – Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds – Raiders interim GM Champ Kelly
announces the Panthers They requested interviews with 9 candidates for the head coach position: – Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson – Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowick -Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan – Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn – Ravens defensive coordinator Mike McDonald – Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith – Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris -Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken – Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales
Here's what Bob Myers offers leaders as they clean house
More Panthers HC and GM candidates emerge:
the #Cheetahs I requested an interview with #Texas OC Bobby Slowik for the head coaching job, per source.
the #chargers They ask for an interview #49ers Sources tell me defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes for the head coaching vacancy @rapshit. The Wilkes Niners' defense ranks third in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed this season after going 6-6. #Cheetahs Temporary HC.
the #Cheetahs I requested an interview with #Presidents Vice President of Football Operations Brandt Telles has been named to the general manager job, according to a source.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh remains a hot name in the NFL. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
As the national championship game between Washington and Michigan approaches, talk about Jim Harbaugh's coaching future will get louder. Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel weighed in on the matter Sunday evening, writing:
Jim Harbaugh could benefit from a new NFL rule that prohibits currently hired assistant coaches from speaking with teams until after the divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 21. He can talk to whoever he wants whenever he wants.
While multiple sources on Harbaugh believe he does, there's an unpredictability that prevails about a man who has never acted conventionally.
“It's Jim, in the end, who knows,” said a confidant.
Dodds has ties to Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh — they've worked together to #Raiders In 2003 — which could be relevant depending on how the head coach search goes. https://t.co/X66hZQJBDL
