Mike Vrabel is returning to Ohio, even if it's not Ohio State.
The former Buckeye linebacker and coach has been hired as a coaching and personnel consultant by the Cleveland Browns after being fired as the Tennessee Titans head coach in January.
Browns are hiring former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel as a coaching and personnel consultant, per @FieldYates and me. Vrabel now returns to Ohio, where he was a standout Ohio State LB. pic.twitter.com/NPhXHhTe1q
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2024
Vrabel's reputation as one of the premier defense-oriented head coaches in the NFL took a hit over the past two seasons.
After reaching three consecutive playoffs with the Titans from 2019-21, Vrabel went 7-10 in 2022 and 6-11 in 2023 as Tennessee struggled to find a suitable replacement for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The furthest Vrabel took the Titans was on a surprise run to the AFC Championship Game in the 2019 postseason, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Hired by Tennessee in 2018 for his first head coaching job, Vrabel compiled a career record of 54-45 with the Titans. His playoff record is 2-2.
Vrabel racked up a school-record 36 career sacks at Ohio State from 1993-96. That led to a 14-year Pro Bowl NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. Vrabel played on three Super Bowl-winning teams for the Patriots in 2001, 2003 and 2004.
A third-round draft pick out of Ohio State, Vrabel collected 57 career sacks in the professional ranks.
Following his playing career Vrabel landed a job as the Buckeyes' linebackers coach under interim head coach Luke Fickell in 2011, then was retained as the team's defensive line coach by Urban Meyer for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. That marked his departure for the NFL, where he coached four seasons as an assistant for the Houston Texans before landing the Titans' head coaching gig.
