Browns did Mike Vrabel a big favor

Jan 11, 2020; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter in a AFC Divisional Round playoff football game at M&T Bank Stadium. Photo Credit: George Walker IV/The Tennessean via USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cleveland Browns sowed some goodwill with how they handled Mike Vrabel’s contract situation.

Vrabel had been serving as a consultant for the Browns since March. Reports emerged earlier this week that Vrabel’s agreement with Cleveland had expired before the team’s season finale, allowing the 49-year-old to explore new job opportunities elsewhere.

The timing of the deal’s expiry was no coincidence. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that the team cut ties with Vrabel early as a favor to the sought-after head coaching candidate.

“Part of adjusting Mike Vrabel’s contract was letting him get a head start on some of these (head coaching) interviews and I think a team will be lucky to have him,” Stefanski said.

Vrabel is considered one of the top candidates to land a job during this cycle of coach hires.

Vrabel led the Titans to a 54-45 record in his six years as head coach from 2018 to 2023. Tennessee made the playoffs three times and reached the AFC Championship Game during his second season at the helm.

The former Tennessee Titans head coach is already pegged as the favorite to fill the Jets’ head coaching vacancy next season. But Vrabel is rumored to have his sights set on a different AFC coaching job.