Report: Mike Vrabel Linked to Seahawks' HC Job by NFL Insiders After Titans Firing

Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is reportedly viewed as a strong candidate within the NFL to become the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, "several" sources share his "hunch" that Vrabel could be a "sneaky late entry" into the Seahawks' pool of candidates and ultimately secure the job.

Seattle has yet to interview Vrabel, but the organization is in the process of reviewing and interviewing candidates on the heels of the surprising move to remove Pete Carroll from the head coaching role and place him in an advisory position in the front office.

Following a highly successful, 14-year playing career as a linebacker that saw him win three Super Bowls, Vrabel broke into coaching in 2011 and quickly rose through the ranks.

After serving as the Houston Texans defensive coordinator in 2017, the Titans hired him to be their head coach, and he accomplished a great deal during his six seasons with the organization.

Vrabel went 54-45 and reached the playoffs in three straight seasons from 2019 to 2021. The Titans shockingly reached the AFC Championship Game as a wild-card team in 2019, and they followed that up with two consecutive AFC South crowns.

The past two seasons were more of a struggle, though, as the Titans lost their final seven games in 2022 to finish 7-10 and then went 6-11 this season, which was their worst record under Vrabel.

Vrabel arguably exceeded expectations in Tennessee when you consider that he usually didn't get better than average play out of the quarterback position.

The Titans' three straight playoff appearances during Vrabel's tenure came with veteran Ryan Tannehill under center and with running back Derrick Henry as the clear focal point of the offense.

Seattle offers a similar situation, as quarterback Geno Smith compares favorably to Tannehill of a few years ago, while running backs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet should give the Seahawks a strong ground game.

The Seahawks also have an excellent group of wide receivers in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, plus they are set to return most of their players on defense with linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive lineman Leonard Williams as the only key free agents.

After trading quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos prior to the 2022 season, little was expected of the Seahawks, but Smith stepped up and enjoyed a Pro Bowl campaign, pushing the Seahawks into the playoffs with a 9-8 record.

Seattle went 9-8 again this season, giving it a winning season for the 11th time in the past 12 years, but it barely missed out on another playoff berth.

Since the Seahawks don't figure to make any sweeping changes to the roster, a coaching change was perhaps the easiest way to shake things up, even if it meant moving on from the only coach in team history to lead the franchise to a Super Bowl win.

Vrabel will have huge shoes to fill in Seattle if he ultimately lands the Seahawks' head coaching job, but he has had success with arguably less-talented rosters in the past.

Given the amount of head coaching jobs available, Vrabel figures to have some options, meaning the Seahawks need to act quickly if they truly have interest in hiring him.