One of the hottest head coaching candidates met with the Jets on Friday.
The team completed an interview with former Titans coach Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel is considered one of the top candidates in this coaching cycle after getting fired by the Titans last year. Vrabel, 49, made the playoffs three times in Tennessee and had a record of 54-45 in the regular season there.
He was the Coach of the Year in 2021.
The Jets are interviewing Mike Vrabel. APTennessee fired Vrabel after two straight losing seasons. Vrabel spent this season in a consulting role with the Browns.
His deal with Cleveland ended Monday, allowing him to interview early with teams.
Anyone working for an NFL team is not allowed to interview until after the regular season ends Sunday.
This is the second known interview for the head coaching opening by the Jets. They interviewed former Commanders and Panthers coach Ron Rivera on Thursday.
The Jets fired coach Robert Saleh in October after just five games.
Mike Vrabel is one of the top head coaches available this offseason. AP
Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said on Friday that he expects to get a chance to interview for the job next week.
He had served as the team’s defensive coordinator and took over after Saleh was fired.
The Jets are 2-9 under his tutelage and he is considered a longshot for the job.
“I for sure look forward to that, but at the same time, I am in my feet right now,” Ulbrich said. “Got to finish this season right and these players deserve everything I have. [Becoming interim] has had me take a hard look at myself in a lot of ways. It’s reinforced some things that I really believe in, from a coaching perspective and a leading perspective.
“It’s also put some stuff into question, that I look forward to reflecting on, and growing from, so I’m not there yet in the midst of the whirlwind still. I got to finish this thing right, but definitely this is going to be a great opportunity for me to step back and really evaluate myself, and what happened during this entire opportunity that I had.”
Jets owner Woody Johnson has led the head coach and general manager searches, but the team previously hired The 33rd Team to help with both.
Jets former general manager Mike Tannenbaum along with former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman are leading the project.
Tannenbaum founded the company in 2019.
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The Jets already have conducted interviews with four candidates for general manager — Thomas Dimitroff, Jon Robinson, Jim Nagy and Louis Riddick.
The Jets fired Joe Douglas as general manager six weeks after firing Saleh.
Vrabel is expected to be a candidate for every opening in the NFL.
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel argues a call during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. APThe interview with the Jets is the first he is known to have taken.
The Jets, Saints and Bears currently have openings.
Vrabel also has been linked to the Raiders if they decide to move on from Antonio Pierce.
Tom Brady, who is Vrabel’s former teammate with the Patriots, is a minority owner in Las Vegas.
Vrabel had a 14-year playing career, including eight with the Patriots.
There has been speculation that New England may try to hire Vrabel if they fire Jerod Mayo after just one season.
