There's a new favorite for the Carolina Panthers' head coaching job

The Carolina Panthers' search for a new head coach should soon be nearing its conclusion.  And there's a new favorite for the job according to the latest odds from BetOnline.ag.  Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is now listed as the favorite to replace Frank Reich in Charlotte.  This would probably be the best […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers' search for a new head coach should soon be nearing its conclusion. 

And there's a new favorite for the job according to the latest odds from BetOnline.ag. 

Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is now listed as the favorite to replace Frank Reich in Charlotte. 

This would probably be the best outcome for the Panthers, a team that badly needs a culture change. 

Vrabel was surprisingly fired by the Titans this past season despite leading the franchise to the AFC Championship game in 2019 and winning two AFC South division titles during his six seasons in Nashville. 

A series of poor personnel decisions left Vrabel with a severely flawed roster the last two seasons, making competing in the AFC South nearly impossible. 

The Titans had a woeful offensive line, a bleak quarterback situation, and a general lack of talent on the offensive side of the ball.

Despite the bad situation that Vrabel was in, the Titans were competitive in most of their losses in 2023. Seven of the Titans' 11 losses last season came by one score. And two of those losses were in overtime. They finished the season with a win against the Jaguars, which knocked Jacksonville out of the playoffs. 

If the Panthers hire Vrabel, he'll of course have to hire a strong offensive coordinator, something he didn't do during his final few seasons with the Titans (oddly enough, the Titans are still in that situation after hiring Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, a coach who has never called plays and essentially ran what quarterback Joe Burrow wanted to run in Cincinnati — which was the LSU system). 

Unlike most of the coaches gaining traction this cycle, Vrabel is a known commodity. And players love him (Patrick Mahomes once said he'd like to play for Vrabel). Every hire is a gamble, but Vrabel seems like one of the safest bets this cycle. 

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