By Dianna Russini, Daniel Popper, Josh Kendall, Michael-Shawn Dugar and Joe Rexrode
The Chargers are interviewing former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel in Los Angeles on Thursday regarding their head-coaching job, a league source confirmed.
It’s Vrabel’s first known interview since the Titans fired him last week after six seasons in Nashville. Vrabel, 48, finished the 2023 season with a 6-11 record, his worst mark during his tenure with Tennessee. It marked the second straight year the franchise finished with a losing record and missed the postseason.
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NFL Network first reported the news.
Vrabel is also set to interview with the Atlanta Falcons next week and the Seattle Seahawks are looking to schedule one, league sources said.
Vrabel, a former Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots linebacker, found plenty of success during his first four seasons as the Titans’ coach. He went 41-24 in the regular season and 2-3 in the postseason from 2018 to 2021. But a 13-21 record over the last two seasons led to Vrabel’s departure.
The Chargers also interviewed Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, among others.
Los Angeles is looking for a coach after firing Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco in Week 15, one day after a 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chargers finished the season 5-12.
Vrabel can be selective, knowing if he sits out a season in 2024 he will be paid handsomely by Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk to do so. He has had success so far without the benefit of an elite talent at quarterback like he would have with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
Atlanta and Seattle are looking to replace Arthur Smith and Pete Carroll, respectively.
Why the Chargers are interested in Vrabel
The Chargers have centered their coaching search and interview process around two primary ideals: accountability and discipline. Perhaps no coach in this cycle embodies those better than Vrabel, a three-time Super Bowl champion as a player with the Patriots. Those elements were missing over the past three years under Staley.
Vrabel, who led the Titans to the playoffs in three of his six seasons as head coach, would certainly fit the reimagined culture the Spanos family is trying to cultivate. Vrabel consistently coached competitive, tough teams in Nashville — right up until his final game in Week 18, when the 5-11 Titans knocked the divisional-rival Jacksonville Jaguars out of playoff contention. Discipline, accountability, success as a player, success as a coach. Vrabel checks many boxes for the Chargers. — Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer
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Where Los Angeles’ search stands
Harbaugh is still a name to watch in the Chargers’ search — maybe the name. The Chargers interviewed Harbaugh on Monday for their head-coaching vacancy, and there remains interest on both sides. Harbaugh also interviewed with the Falcons on Tuesday.
Chargers president of football operations John Spanos said in December that ownership would “cast a wide net” in the searches for a new coach and new GM. The Chargers have stuck to that. Vrabel would be the 11th head coach candidate they have interviewed in the cycle. They also reportedly have four remaining requests to coordinators — Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. The Vrabel interview feels like the Chargers continuing this trend and doing their due diligence with candidates that fit their mold. — Popper
Envisioning Vrabel with the Falcons
Vrabel with the Falcons would have its awkward moments. He and fired Atlanta coach Arthur Smith, who was Vrabel’s play-caller in Tennessee for two seasons, are close friends, and Smith was fired thinking he was one year away from getting things turned in the right direction.
On a positive note, Vrabel would be very comfortable with the Atlanta roster considering it was built by someone with almost identical football DNA. On a negative side, if there are any skeletons in the Falcons closet, Smith surely will have told Vrabel. The funniest possible scenario would be Vrabel as Atlanta head coach with Smith calling plays. — Josh Kendall, Falcons beat writer
How would Vrabel fit with the Seahawks?
Earlier this week, Seahawks general manager John Schneider spoke about the value of having experience as a head coach. This isn’t a rebuild; Schneider wants someone who can hit the ground running. The job also comes with a lot of stress and there will be low moments mixed in with the joyous times. Schneider is looking for a coach who knows how to handle all of that while never getting too high or too low. Vrabel has been there and done that, so it’s understandable he’d be added to Schneider’s list of interviews. Seattle’s other known candidates with head-coach experience are Quinn and Morris. — Michael-Shawn Dugar, Seahawks beat writer
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What about the Titans?
The Titans, meanwhile, have announced 10 candidates to be interviewed, and Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is the first to get a second interview — and from the jump, one of the most attractive of their stated options. That would be a move from a defensive coach known as a motivator to an offensive whiz, which would make sense with so much tied to the development of quarterback Will Levis entering his second season. — Joe Rexrode, Tennessee senior writer
Required reading
- Why Titans fired Mike Vrabel, a story of festering slights and a lack of communication
- Live updates on coaching news across the NFL
(Photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)