It seems like the Carolina Panthers are a contender to sign Mike Vrabel. According to a league source who spoke with The Charlotte Observer, the former head coach of the Tennessee Titans will meet with the Panthers on Thursday. This is an intriguing development in the coaching search that highlights how strong the field of candidates this summer is. The news was initially reported by ESPN and The Athletic. According to those media sources, Vrabel will have a face-to-face interview with the Falcons on Wednesday.
Vrabel is one of the most compelling coaching candidates on the market right now. The 48-year-old former NFL linebacker was fired from the Titans this offseason, a move that was largely met with surprise by the public considering his 56-48 record since being hired as the head guy in 2018. The best year of his six-year run in Tennessee was in 2019, when his team snuck into the playoffs with a 9-7 record but made it all the way to the AFC Championship game.
That was the first of three straight playoff trips for the franchise. Vrabel was not one the 11 candidates the Panthers confirmed interviewing virtually. Candidates who have conducted second interviews with the Panthers include Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
Several Panthers head coaching candidates — including Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and both Baltimore Ravens coordinators, Todd Monken and Mike Macdonald — cannot be brought in for a second interview at this point until their team is either out of the postseason or, if their team makes the Super Bowl, from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4, per league rules. Vrabel was a third-round draft pick in 1997 out of Ohio State and played his first three years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He made his mark, however, with the New England Patriots, where he stayed from 2001-08 and won three Super Bowls. One of those Super Bowls — in 2004 — was won over the Carolina Panthers. Dan Morgan, who was recently promoted as the Panthers’ president of football operations and general manager, was a linebacker for Carolina that year and recorded a Super Bowl-record 18 tackles in that game.
