NFL insider believes NY Jets will miss out on their top HC candidate

The NY Jets will interview a host of candidates in the coming weeks in search of their next head coach, but if reportes are to be believed, the team has already identified its top option. The Jets want Mike Vrabel.

SNY's Connor Hughes reported earlier this month that Vrabel is the coach the Jets "covet the most." The team has already reportedly put out feelers to his camp, and reports suggest the interest is mutual.

Vrabel is expected to be one of the top head coach candidates available this offseason and would widely been seen as a slam-dunk hire for the Jets. Unfortunately, not everyone believes in their chances.

In a recent episode of the Gang's All Here podcast, Brian Costello of the New York Post expressed hesitancy about the Vrabel-Jets rumors, instead suggesting that a different team has emerged as the obvious frontrunner.

NY Jets insider believes Raiders will hire Mike Vrabel

Costello reported that the "murmurings around the league have going to Las Vegas." He specifically highlighted the connection between Vrabel and Tom Brady, a notable minority owner of the Raiders who is expected to be involved in the hiring process.

The Raiders are expected to move on from current head coach Antonio Pierce this offseason, and with a potential top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, their job opening could be among the most coveted in the NFL.

Vrabel spent 14 years as an NFL linebacker, including eight seasons with the New England Patriots, where he was teammates with Tom Brady the entire time. Costello claims that Brady "loves Vrabel" and would prioritize bringing his former teammate in to coach his new team.

Vrabel was fired as head coach of the Tennessee Titans last January after six years in Nashville that included four straight winning records, consecutive AFC South titles, and a trip to the AFC Championship Game.

He's spent the 2024 season working as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns as he prepares to re-enter the coaching cycle this offseason. The Jets and Raiders are two of the many teams expected to be interested.

The Jets have also been connected to the likes of Aaron Glenn (who appears to be highly coveted by New Orleans), Arthur Smith, Matt Nagy, and even ex-head coach Rex Ryan, who is eyeing a return to the league. Ryan's legitimacy as a candidate remains in question, but the same can't be said for Vrabel.

The Jets are eyeing a proven CEO-type head coach to help transform a culture of losing that has permeated the walls of Florham Park for far too long. Vrabel fits that criteria to a tee.

Unfortunately. the Jets won't be alone in their pursuit of the former Titans coach, and as it stands right now, they might not be the favorites.

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