Mike Vrabel is a coach whose profile looks like what the Chicago Bears should want in their next head coach. And one of his former players made a pitch so strong for the coaching free agent that it made me do a double-take.
Defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker, who played for Vrabel while with the Tennesse Titans in 2022, shared why he thinks his former head coach would be a quality fit in Chicago:
“I tell you what, a lot of bullshit is going to get cut out,” Walker said, via 670 The Score. “I’m sorry, but that’s the truth, though. I feel like discipline will be laid right down from the first day. A lot of those small things that we have done and gotten away with, that won’t happen. That’s just from my personal experience.”
On the one hand, I am vibing with what Walker is saying in the statement above. The Bears need a coach who can be a disciplinarian while also getting the best of their players. Vrabel comes off as a tough, but fair coach. This team hasn’t had someone like that calling the shots at Halas Hall since Lovie Smith was fired at the end of the 2012 season.
But on the other hand, I can’t think about this quote without wondering why players need a coach to get through to them in this way. Moreover, I wonder why the players in a locker room that was believed to have a good culture couldn’t police themselves. I suppose this is why the Bears are looking for a new coach in the first place.
Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY SportsAs for Walker, he has been a nice player for the Bears these past two seasons. A versatile defensive lineman who can play inside and out, Walker hasn’t missed a game over the past two seasons. In 2024, Walker collected 3.5 sacks, 7 tackles-for-loss, and tied a career-best with 16 tackles-for-loss. For what it’s worth, Walker is under contract for the 2025 season. So unless the Bears cut him (which would create $5.25 million in cap space) this offseason, hiring Mike Vrabel would make for an opportunity to reunite with Walker. That could be neat.
BEARS HEAD COACH SEARCH: Mike Vrabel Tops “Leader of Men” Candidates
Mike Vrabel is expected to meet with the Bears on Wednesday
Even as the Bears continue to pile up interview requests, they’ll need to square away some time to actually have some interviews. With that being said, one of those interviews is expected to take place on Wednesday with Mike Vrabel:
The Bears will interview former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel tomorrow, per source.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) January 7, 2025Boston Herald reporter Doug Kyed reports the Bears have an interview scheduled with Mike Vrabel on Wednesday. As of now, this is the only known interview on Chicago’s radar. I would venture to say it is an important one, too.
The New York Jets already had discussions with Vrabel. Meanwhile, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports that the New England Patriots have their interview with Vrabel scheduled for Thursday. And while Rapoport considers the Pats to be the favorites for Vrabel, the Raiders firing Antonio Pierce will likely put them in the running here. It doesn’t take much to imagine Tom Brady, who has an ownership share in the Vegas football team, luring his former teammate to the Raiders. Brady is expected to be part of the interview committee responsible for unearthing Vegas’ next head coach.
Mike Vrabel is one of my favorite head coach candidates on the market. He has a successful track record as a head coach, hired two quality offensive coordinators (Matt LaFleur, Arthur Smith), and comes with a whale of a recommendation from DeMarcus Walker. But if it is between the Bears, Patriots, and Raiders, I struggle to envision a scenario in which Chicago comes out on top. Frankly, the best-case scenario might be Vrabel choosing the Patriots instead of the Raiders because it eliminated a potential Ben Johnson suit from the mix.
The NFL coach-hiring carousel is far more interesting to me when the Chicago Bears are involved. But I wonder if I’ll feel the same once some of these hirings start getting announced. Stay tuned.
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