Interesting coach favored to become next Commanders head coach

Oct 15, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A Washington Commanders helmet on the bench against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders are the only NFL team with a head coach vacancy now that the Seattle Seahawks have hired Mike Macdonald as their new head coach. Ben Johnson had long been viewed as the favorite for the job, but he informed the team on Tuesday that he preferred to remain in his current position as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator.

Where do the Commanders go from here?

Sportsbetting.ag listed odds on who would become the team’s next head coach. They have Mike Vrabel as the favorite.

Here are the odds they have listed:

Mike Vrabel 2/1
Dan Quinn 3/1
Aaron Glenn 5/1
Bill Belichick 6/1
Frank Smith 7/1
Pete Carroll 9/1
Eric Bieniemy 20/1

What’s so interesting about having Vrabel as the favorite is that he hasn’t interviewed for the job — at least that we know of.

The candidates the Commanders have interviewed include: Bobby Slowik, Raheem Morris, Ben Johnson, Dan Quinn, Macdonald, Aaron Glenn, Anthony Weaver and Eric Bieniemy. All of the candidates were set to have two interviews. Macdonald has since been hired by the Seahawks; Johnson chose to remain with the Lions; Morris was hired by the Falcons; and Slowik is remaining with the Texans. That leaves Quinn, Glenn, Weaver and Bieniemy.

Are the Commanders going to hire one of the four coaches they’ve interviewed twice, or could they go for a coach they haven’t interviewed yet?

Vrabel, Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll are all still out there. Belichick and Carroll are the most accomplished of the group, but some teams may be looking to go younger.

Vrabel is 48, made the playoffs three times in six seasons as the Titans’ head coach, and he won the 2021 Coach of the Year award. It seems crazy that he’s still unemployed. Maybe the Commanders will change that.