When Will Mike Vrabel Become A Head Coach In The NFL?

This week’s sponsored post asks each NFL site which member of their current coaching staff is most likely to be a head coach. The answer for your Houston Texans seems glaringly obvious; it’s Mike Vrabel, ain’t it?

Vrabel left Ohio State to become Bill O’Brien’s linebackers coach in Houston almost four years ago. He immediately set about making an impact on that position group, first with Whitney Mercilus and then later with Jadeveon Clowney and Benardrick McKinney. His good work didn’t go unnoticed outside Houston, as Chip Kelly tried to make Vrabel his defensive coordinator with the 49ers in 2016; Vrabel rejected that job offer to stay in Houston.

That wouldn’t be the last time a California team wanted to speak with Vrabel, though. The Rams interviewed him last year for their head coaching vacancy despite Vrabel never having worked as a coordinator in the NFL. Vrabel didn’t get the job, but the Texans acknowledged Vrabel’s contributions and league-wide allure by promoting him to defensive coordinator last January, with Romeo Crennel transitioning from DC to assistant head coach on a new two-year contract.

Vrabel’s first year calling the shots for the Texans’ defense hasn’t been without challenges. He’s seen his defense ravaged by injury, most notably to J.J. Watt and Mercilus, and there has undeniably been a bit of a learning curve as Vrabel learns on the job. Nevertheless, it still seems like he’ll be in charge of a team in the NFL sooner rather than later. My question to you is when. When do you believe Mike Vrabel gets hired by a team to be its head coach? Could it be as soon as the upcoming offseason? If so, where could Vrabel land?

Alternatively, if you think there’s someone else on the current staff that is a future head coach, let that opinion fly in the Comments as well.