FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets met with former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel at their facility Friday for their head coaching vacancy, the team announced.
Vrabel, 49, is expected to be one of the most coveted candidates in this year’s hiring cycle. His coaching and personnel consulting contract with the Cleveland Browns expired on Monday, creating a vacancy this week.
Former Jets and Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan will meet with team officials on Tuesday, sources told ESPN. Ryan coached the Jets from 2009 to 2014, amassing a 46-50 record and reaching the postseason in 2009 and 2010. The Jets have not made the playoffs since then. This is the longest active drought in the NFL at 14 years.
Mr. Vrabel was the second known candidate interviewed for this vacancy. On Thursday, the Jets met with former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera.
The Jets are searching for a replacement for Robert Saleh, who was fired on Oct. 8 after compiling a 20-36 record over three seasons as coach. He is 2-9 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who said Friday that he expects to have an opportunity to interview for the job next week.
Vrabel was waived by the Titans on January 9, 2024 after six seasons with the team. He compiled a 54-45 record, appeared in the postseason three times, and went 2-3 in the playoffs. He went 13-21 in his final two seasons at Tennessee and was fired a year after the Titans replaced general manager and hired Ran Carson.
The Jets (4-12) will end a disappointing season Sunday against the Miami Dolphins that also saw the resignation of general manager Joe Douglas, who was fired on Nov. 26.
They have already hired former Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, former Titans GM Jon Robinson and Reese’s Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy to fill the general manager position. , and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who previously worked in the Commanders’ and Philadelphia’s front offices, are interviewing four candidates. Eagles.
The Jets hired No. 33 to provide data analysis and experience in their search for both positions. Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and former Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman, who served as GM and coaching search advisor for the Commanders last year, are leading the No. 33 team project.
