Report: Mike Vrabel to interview for Jets’ vacancy

The New York Jets will interview former NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel for their head coaching vacancy on Friday, The Athletic reported.

Vrabel, 49, compiled a 54-45 record in six seasons with the Tennessee Titans from 2018-23 before spending this past season as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns.

The Jets interviewed former Washington and Carolina head coach Ron Rivera on Thursday.

New York fired Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start to his fourth season on the job. The team is 2-9 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich entering Sunday’s season finale against the Miami Dolphins in East Rutherford, N.J.

Vrabel is highly respected in NFL circles and is expected to be on the short list for several vacancies this offseason.

In an interview with The Athletic, Vrabel said that his three main considerations for his next job will be ownership, collaboration and the quarterback situation.

“There’s got to be clear communication with ownership, so that we understand as coaches what the expectations are,” Vrabel said. “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 took the Titans to the AFC Championship game in the 2019 season and reached the playoffs again in 2020 and 2021. He was named the Coach of the Year after leading Tennessee to a 12-5 record in 2021 but was let go after a 6-11 campaign in 2023.

–Field Level Media