As NFL Wild Card Weekend gets underway, 18 other teams have begun their offseason in an early fashion. The New England Patriots are one of a handful of teams who have been busier than most, as of late, with a head coaching vacancy to work through.
The Patriots have a good amount of candidates they could wind up with, but a few prominent names top the list. Many fans would like to see one of Ben Johnson or Mike Vrabel get the job, in the end, and some of these fans could be in for some good news sooner or later.
Before the playoffs kicked off on Saturday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter gave fans an update with some of his latest information on the coaching carousel, and one of the biggest takeaways came when he touched on New England.
Specifically, the big news came in reference to Vrabel and the Patriots' coaching opening.
"Most people around the league that Vrabel remains the favorite for the Patriots job," Schefter said.
Mike Vrabel could be the first coaching domino to fall and it makes too much sense
Vrabel, the guy with obvious ties to New England, makes a lot of sense for an organization that has a franchise quarterback in place and strong defensive values, historically speaking.
It seems like it was only a matter of time before Vrabel returned to the Patriots after he spent eight seasons with the team as a player which saw him earn a Pro Bowl nod and even a First-Team All-Pro.
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Vrabel last coached with the Tennessee Titans before he was let go and decided to spend last season with the Cleveland Browns as a consultant. Vrabel's Titans went all the way to the AFC Championship Game one year with the likes of Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, Derrick Henry in the back field and a strong defense.
If Vrabel were to be hired in New England, that would likely put the rest of the cycle in fast motion, starting with Johnson. The Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is the other big ticket name on the coaching market, as is his peer, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Between the Patriots, Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders, Johnson is a coveted name. So, if Vrabel took the Patriots job, it would be an intriguing battle between Vegas and Chicago to land Johnson. Count the Jacksonville Jaguars as in on Johnson, too, but they may not be able to convince him to take that job if Trent Baalke remains.