The 2023 regular season is over and teams eliminated from playoffs have begun to make moves to their coaching staff. Several head coaches have already been fired since Sunday. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the news of one surprising firing that happened today. After six seasons, Mike Vrabel has been fired by the Tennessee Titans. He went 6-11 in his final season as head coach. 

Tennessee sent the AP 2021 Coach of the Year out with a win in Week 18. They beat the Jaguars 28-20 at home and knocked their division rival out of the postseason. Despite all that, owner Amy Adams Strunk felt it was time to move on from Vrabel as head coach. She claimed the franchise wants a “fresh perspective in the coaching staff ” after their last two seasons. Mike Vrabel will undoubtedly be one of, if not the top head coaching candidate for several teams this offseason.

Mike Vrabel has been fired by the Tennesee Titans after six seasons

Sources: #Titans coach Mike Vrabel will not return in 2024, sources say, as both sides will move on after six seasons that included one Coach of the Year nod for Vrabel. He’s expected to be one of the top candidates available. pic.twitter.com/N5V4ZfWgdm

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2024

It’s safe to say that nobody saw Mike Vrabel’s firing coming. Yes, the Titans have not had a winning record since 2021, but Vrabel has built a culture with the Titans. That has all been thrown out the window and Tennesee felt they were ready to move on. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Titans did not want to try and trade Vrabel. Tennesse thought that the process would be too complicated. Instead, they quickly moved on from Vrabel after the end of the 2023 season. He finished 54-45 as their head coach and was 2-3 in the postseason.

Russini also noted that Vrabel never asked ownership for a trade out of Tennesee. He was willing to be their head coach moving forward. The Titans wanted to move in a different direction. Now, the 48-year-old will be one of the top head coaching candidates this offseason. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that Vrabel admitted this was “the most difficult season of his tenure” and had been frustrated most of the year. Could that have led to his firing Possibly, but Vrabel will still be highly pursued this offseason.

Former Titans’ HC Mike Vrabel now is expected to be a Tier 1 candidate for other head coaching jobs.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2024

In his best season with Tennesse, Vrabel led the Titans to a 12-5 record. However, they lost in the divisional round as the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs. His first postseason berth as head coach was in 2019 and the Titans made it all the way to the AFC Championship game. They lost to the Chiefs, but Vrabel proved he was building a culture for years to come. Fast forward a few seasons and Vrabel has been fired. Success only lasts for so long before change is wanted. The Titans felt it was time.  Tennessee will now start their search for their next head coach.