Mike Vrabel firing by Tennessee Titans creates insane coaching carousel scenarios in Big Ten and beyond
Mike Vrabel was fired by the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday.
Titans Wire wrote:
“According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Vrabel is out as Titans head coach after six seasons. Schefter adds that owner Amy Adams Strunk ‘wanted fresh perspective’ in the coaching staff after a 6-18 stretch over the last two seasons, including 1-9 in division games.
Notably, Vrabel didn’t seem happy according to Titans Wire’s report:
“However, based on rumors, it was quite clear Vrabel wasn’t happy here and there’s no sense in keeping a coach who feels that way. Either you’re 100 percent in or you’re not, and I think it’s safe to say he was the latter.”
This is a massive story. We will lay out for you some absolutely mind-blowing scenarios in the NFL and college football coaching carousels which are in play, now that Vrabel is on the open market.
Vrabel will find a plum job — on that point there is zero doubt — but the question is where he will get that job, and that’s where some extraordinary plot twists could emerge, with USC being affected in various ways.
You might already know where this is going, but if you don’t, be prepared to be blown away. Here we go:
VRABEL TO OHIO STATE
Vrabel played at Ohio State. If ever there was someone who could replace Ryan Day, Vrabel would be at or near the very top of the list.
Ohio State could very reasonably make a run at Vrabel. If he wants the job, he would get it.
COMPLICATION: OHIO STATE AD IS ABOUT TO RETIRE
Gene Smith, Ohio State’s longtime athletic director, will step down at the end of June of this year. Would he make a move for Vrabel, knowing his successor wouldn’t get a chance to hire a first football coach and make a decision on Ryan Day? Would Ohio State act boldly here in spite of the fact that an AD change is coming later this year? Wow. It’s quite a scenario.
RYAN DAY TO THE CHICAGO BEARS
If Ohio State does hire Vrabel, Ryan Day would be free to go to the NFL. Imagine Day going to Chicago to coach the Bears. Why would he do this? The answer is not complicated: He would get to coach Justin Fields, the quarterback with whom he had the most success at Ohio State. The Bears could hire the absolute ideal coach for Fields — maybe not the team, but certainly Fields himself.
BEARS TRADE TOP PICK IN 2024 NFL DRAFT
If the Bears stick with Justin Fields, they will trade the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft. This means Caleb Williams would go to Washington, or New England, or perhaps another team willing to trade up to No. 1 with Chicago. The Bears probably wouldn’t trade too far down, however, and that leads us to our next scenario.
BEARS DRAFT MARVIN HARRISON JR.
Justin Fields at quarterback. Marvin Harrison Jr. at receiver. Ryan Day could come to Chicago and have his dream quarterback-receiver combination. Boom!
MIKE MACDONALD TO TITANS
The Titans, having fired Mike Vrabel, are now in play for Mike Macdonald, the rock-star defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Imagine a scenario in which Macdonald goes to Tennessee. This leaves the Baltimore defensive coordinator job open. You probably know what we’re going to mention next:
D'ANTON LYNN TO BALTIMORE RAVENS
If the Ravens’ defensive coordinator job opens up, D’Anton Lynn could go there. USC would have a situation akin to 2018, when it hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator but never watched him coach the Trojans. Kliff left to take the Arizona Cardinals’ open head coaching job instead. It would take five more years for Kingsbury to coach at USC.
DOUG BELK PROMOTED TO USC DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
If D’Anton Lynn leaves for the Ravens, Doug Belk — currently the secondary coach — could be promoted to USC defensive coordinator. Remember: He has been Houston’s defensive coordinator the past few years. This would not be a huge headache for USC.
TAYLOR MAYS PROMOTED TO SECONDARY COACH
If Doug Belk is promoted to defensive coordinator, that’s not a problem for USC. Taylor Mays would be able to coach the secondary and have an expanded role on staff. He could gain crucial added experience as a ramp up to a future in which he could eventually become USC’s defensive coordinator.
HARBAUGH TO CHARGERS
Jim Harbaugh could stay at Michigan, but with a national championship in hand, he can now leave the NCAA realm. He can pursue the Super Bowl he almost won in San Francisco with a new team, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Imagine this: Harbaugh and Lincoln Riley both working in Los Angeles at the same time.
BIG TEN UPHEAVAL
VRABEL TO THE PATRIOTS
If Vrabel doesn’t go to Ohio State, he could take over the New England Patriots, for whom he starred in Bill Belichick’s first dynastic period with the franchise two decades ago. The Patriots could not ask for a much better successor to their greatest coach ever.
This would obviously introduce fresh possibilities elsewhere in the NFL, which could have a domino effect on college football and the Big Ten.
BELICHICK TO CHARGERS
If Vrabel unseats Belichick in New England, that frees up Belichick to look for another job. Getting Justin Herbert in Los Angeles would be a natural landing spot.
If that happens, we can do the math and plot out other scenarios, including one involving Jim Harbaugh:
HARBAUGH TO BEARS
If Belichick goes to the Chargers, that walls off Jim Harbaugh from Los Angeles and could send him to Chicago.
If Harbaugh does go to the Bears, that means Chicago is starting fresh. That means Justin Fields is out. That means Caleb Williams will be taken with the first pick. Major domino effect, right?
USC would still derive the benefit of Harbaugh no longer coaching at Michigan, but the NFL would look very different compared to the scenario in which Harbaugh — not Belichick — coaches the Chargers.
JESSE MINTER TO FALCONS
If Harbaugh leaves Michigan, Sherrone Moore — the offensive coordinator — is the most likely candidate to replace him. That might mean defensive coordinator Jesse Minter will look for a big job elsewhere. The Atlanta Falcons fell short under offense-first coach Arthur Smith (who could be Vrabel’s offensive coordinator in New England if Vrabel does get that job). They might pivot to defense and take Minter. The Falcons could also make a run at the aforementioned Mike Macdonald, whose departure from Baltimore could pull D’Anton Lynn away from USC, as outlined several sections above.
FINAL NOTE
So much uncertainty exists, but the main thing to note is that Ohio State — if it wants to hire Mike Vrabel and push out Ryan Day — needs to act very, very quickly. Vrabel will be immediately contacted by NFL teams. Ohio State would need to act with lightning-quick speed if it wants to pull Vrabel to Columbus and create a seismic development.
USC hopes the Buckeyes do not succeed. Vrabel would be an upgrade over Ryan Day. If Day stays at OSU, USC has a better chance of overtaking the Buckeyes.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on Jim Harbaugh as he plots his next move.
The coaching carousel just got wilder. We’ll see if it goes absolutely off the rails in the coming days. Stay tuned.
