When the Tennessee Titans and head coach Mike Vrabel decided to part ways earlier this offseason, it was widely expected that he would quickly turn around and land a new head coaching job.
That didn’t end up being the case. In fact, neither Vrabel or legendary head coach Bill Belichick were offered a head coaching job during this cycle.
Instead, Vrabel ended up landing with the Cleveland Browns as a consultant. Despite not landing a head coaching job, he seems very content in his current situation.
Recently, Vrabel spoke out about his current setup with the Browns and it’s clear that he’s excited with where he’s at in his career.
“This is my 25th NFL training camp, so I would say that nothing surprises me in the National Football League. (Getting fired), that’s part of the job. I think it’s disappointing. I think you’re disappointed that you couldn’t do the job the way that they wanted it, or they envisioned it. But again, this is the opportunity that I think is best for me right now to be able to go through draft meetings, personnel meetings with (Browns general manager) Andrew Berry and his staff and see how that all got navigated and how they may do things.”
He continued forward, talking about how every team is different and what he’s liking about his role with Cleveland.
“There’s 32 flavors in this league, and everybody does it a little differently. So, it’s been fun to be a part of this and try to help where I can, and most especially learn.”
Being a consultant is a completely new NFL role for Vrabel. After being one of the top up-and-coming head coaches in the league, making a switch to a consultant role is a major change.
It seems very likely that this change will be a one-year situation for him. Next offseason, there will be quite a few teams interested in new head coaches and Vrabel will be one of the names at the top of the list of potential candidates.
All of that being said, Vrabel’s experience and ability to coach will help the Browns. He can offer good perspective and help the coaching staff prepare for games.
In a season where Cleveland is hoping to make the playoffs, having any advantage is a good thing. Vrabel certainly offers them a great football mind which should help the coaching staff put the best possible product on the football field.