Mike Vrabel reportedly reaches agreement to become Patriots head coach
UPDATE: Mike Vrabel will not be the next Bears head coach.
The former New England linebacker signed on with his old team to become the new Patriots head coach on Sunday, according to Adam Schefter:
UPDATE: The Bears announced on Wednesday evening that they had completed their interview with Mike Vrabel.
The Bears will target one of the most sought-after coaching candidates this offseason.
Mike Vrabel will interview with the Bears on Wednesday, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reported.
Vrabel, 49, was most recently a coaching and personnel consultant for the Browns and his contract expired on Dec. 30, meaning he was free to interview with any team. Vrabel has interviewed with the Jets already.
He was the Titans head coach from 2018 to 2023, compiling a 54-45 record in his 6 seasons. Tennessee made the playoffs three straight years under Vrabel, losing in the AFC Championship game in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, Vrabel won double-digit games and the AFC South crown. He was named coach of the year in 2021.
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He was fired by Tennessee last year after compiling a 6-11 record in the 2023-24 season. Vrabel was 13-21 in his last two seasons with the Titans.
Known as a defensive-minded coach, adding Vrabel as head coach could elevate a Bears unit that struggled down the stretch after the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus, who called plays for Chicago’s defensive unit.
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The three-time Super Bowl-winning linebacker was a key figure for the Patriots during their dominant run in the 2000s. After a 14-year playing career, Vrabel returned to Ohio State where he was a defensive assistant coaching the defensive line and linebackers for three seasons.
Vrabel was hired as the linebackers coach for the Texans, serving in the role for three seasons, before being elevated to defensive coordinator. He spent one year in that position before accepting the Titans’ head coach job.
Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29, the first time the Bears had fired a coach in-season. He was replaced by offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who also will interview for the head coaching job, general manager Ryan Poles has said.