Could the Cowboys be going from one Mike to another?
With coaching buzz continuing to swirl around Mike Vrabel, ESPN insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler have speculated if the Cowboys — who have yet to extend current coach Mike McCarthy — would be a possible landing spot for the ex-Titans coach, should Dallas decide to shake up its staff.
“Some around the league have noted the Cowboys as a natural fit. They valued experience and pedigree with their last hire in Mike McCarthy and could lean that way again, if they decide to make a change at all,” Fowler said in a piece published Wednesday on ESPN.
Vrabel, a former linebacker who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, coached the Titans from 2018 through 2023 and posted a record of 54-45.
He was fired after Tennessee’s 6-11 campaign last season.
Fowler added the “buzz” around Vrabel “seems legitimate,” and he “is considered a prime candidate to get one of the seven to eight jobs that will inevitably open.”
There are currently three openings after the Bears, Jets and Saints fired their head coaches midseason.
The 3-10 Jaguars seem poised to make a change following a dismal campaign under Doug Pederson, while it remains to be seen if the Raiders (2-11) will move on from Antonio Pierce after his first full season at the helm.
Giants co-owner John Mara gave a vote of confidence to general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll in October, but the team has since fallen to 2-11.
Not to mention Sunday’s very public call to action via a plane banner that read, “MR MARA ENOUGH – PLZ FIX THIS DUMPSTER FIRE.”
Should Vrabel, 49, get another opportunity to coach next season, and if the Raiders decide to part ways with Pierce, Las Vegas could be a destination to watch due in part to a certain minority owner with the team.
“[Tom] Brady’s influence as a minority owner there could loom large for Vrabel or others with ties to the former quarterback,” Fowler said of the current Fox analyst, who was teammates with Vrabel in New England.
However, as Fowler pointed out, there are question marks surrounding Vrabel in the sense of: “What level of control does he want? Is he flexible on staffing? And how would he pair with a new general manager?”
While the football world waits for Vrabel’s next move, McCarthy and the Cowboys are simply trying to cross the finish line on what’s been a disappointing season in Dallas.
The Cowboys dropped to 5-8 following a “Monday Night Football” loss to the Bengals earlier this week.
Despite the endless chatter about McCarthy’s job security beyond 2024 — the final year of his contract — Cowboys legend Troy Aikman believes the Super Bowl-winning coach will be staying put next season.
“Short of Bill Belichick, I don’t know who you’re going to bring in that has a better resume,” Aikman said Monday on 105.3 The Fan.
“I just feel that for a team that I really do not think is that far away … I like the way this team is playing right now, even without their franchise quarterback.”
Aikman, 58, lauded McCarthy, 61, as a “really good football coach,” and said, “I feel the locker room wants him back.”
The Cowboys visit the Panthers (3-10) on Sunday.
The regular season concludes on Sunday, Jan. 5.
