Top coaches Mike Vrabel could bring to the Bears if he's hired as head coach

He's definitely a top candidate, so let's look at who Vrabel might bring with him.

Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel | Kevin Sabitus/GettyImages

The topic of the Chicago Bears' next head coach is one of the hotter stories around the league and, without a doubt, the biggest in the city of Chicago. Who will it be? Will general manager Ryan Poles, in fact, be with the Bears to help make that decision?

All signs point to the Bears going after one of two top candidates, at the moment, with one of them being current Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Recent reports continue to fuel the fire behind Johnson to Chicago, although the Bears are likely going to be looking at other options to do their due diligence.

One of the other top candidates is former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who was able to get the most out of those Titans teams by helping make Ryan Tannehill relevant and taking that team all the way to the AFC Championship Game in 2019 when, quite frankly, they had no business being there in the first place.

One thing Vrabel would bring to the Bears is a definite culture change, which has been needed for quite some time in Chicago. But, then the question becomes, who will Vrabel hire on his staff? Most notably, who will he bring in to be offensive coordinator?

Let's take a look at some of the bigger names Vrabel could bring to Chicago if he was hired.

Top coaches connected to Mike Vrabel who could follow him to the Bears

Jerod Mayo as defensive coordinator

Back in 2008, Jerod Mayo was a teammate of Vrabel in his final season with the New England Patriots. As we speak, no one is sure if the Patriots will keep him on as head coach after just one season with the team. His status is yet to truly be decided, but if he's let go, Mayo will be sought after as a possible defensive coordinator elsewhere.

Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator

The name, alone, makes some football fans shudder. But, Josh. McDaniels was a very good offensive coordinator in this league. After he was fired from the Las Vegas Raiders as their head coach last year, McDaniels opted to take this year off from football.

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But, he very well could make a return in the right situation. Would Bears fans trust him with Caleb Williams? He'd have a lot to prove, in a way, but his background under Bill Belichick and success with Tom Brady does speak volumes. In Chicago, he'd have another talented quarterback and some excellent weapons, which is something Brady didn't always have outside of the Randy Moss era.

McDaniels served under Belichick during Vrabel's entire playing career with New England.

Terrell Williams as defensive coordinator

Maybe the most sensible hire for Vrabel could be one not many fans are familiar with, but someone who is deserving of a shot to become a defensive coordinator. Terrell Williams was the defensive line coach in Tennessee, under Vrabel, and was even the assistant head coach in 2023 before taking a job with the Detroit Lions.

This year, he's been the Lions' defensive line coach and helped engineer a defense that's done its best to hold up amid so many injuries, including the likes of Aidan Hutchinson. Williams also currently serves under another top coaching candidate in Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, so the tree looks ripe for the picking.

Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator

This one might be a long shot, however, the New York Giants haven't yet committed to Brian Daboll beyond this season. If they made the mistake of firing him, Daboll would be snatched up as an offensive coordinator in a hurry.

Believe it or not, these two have a connection.

Daboll was a defensive assistant in New England from 2000-2001 before flipping sides to become the Pats' wide receivers coach from 2002-2006. So, he was there when Vrabel was a player for several years.

Daboll, of course, is credited for developing Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Who wouldn't want that type of leadership developing Caleb Williams?