Why didn't Titans trade Mike Vrabel? NFL insider reveals Titans ownership's stance on fired head coach
The first couple of days after the NFL regular season finishes is always a whirlwind and for Mike Vrabel, this rings true. With 'Black Monday' claiming several head coaches and assistant coaches, the Tennessee Titans' decision is odd.
While Vrabel had a tough time of it the last two seasons, he did have the Titans in the playoffs in back-to-back years, and this season, with Ryan Tannehill's injury, rookie Will Levis was thrust into the starting role.
But with the Titans missing out on the playoffs for a second consecutive season, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk decided it was best to part ways.
Could Mike Vrabel have been traded instead of fired?
With Vrabel still under contract in Tennessee for another two seasons, the idea of potentially trading him to another team was an interesting one.
But per ESPN's Dianna Russini, the Titans hierarchy thought the process could take far too long, and they wanted a swift resolution.
Russini tweeted:
"The Titans believed trading Vrabel was too complicated and would take too long, per sources. They wanted to move on quickly. I was told Vrabel never asked ownership for a trade or asked out of Tennessee."
With Vrabel now on the open market, the race for his services will be hotly contested.
Mike Vrabel to have his choice of coaching destinations
With Vrabel now on the open market, the consensus from several sports talk shows and social media is that he is one of the top coaching candidates and likely won't be without a job for long.
So many NFL teams could do with his services and they include the Washington Commanders, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers, and, if reports are to be believed, potentially the New England Patriots as well.
Just where Vrabel ends up is unknown, but there will not be a shortage of offers for his services.
Regarded as one of the best coaching candidates available aside from Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, Vrabel will likely have his pick of where he wants to go, assuming he still wants to coach.
The NFL coaching hiring and firing season is well underway and Mike Vrabel's name being among those fired wouldn't have been on many people's bingo card.