The Cleveland Browns just made a splash on the coaching staff, though not the one most NFL analysts predicted.

On Friday, March 15, Cleveland added former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel to its staff, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry have hired Mike Vrabel to serve as a consultant for the Browns, per me and @TomPelissero. The former #Titans coach and Coach of the Year had been with them in Indy at the Combine and will work them this season.

“#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry have hired Mike Vrabel to serve as a consultant for the Browns, per me and @TomPelissero,” Rapoport reported via X. “The former #Titans coach and Coach of the Year had been with them in Indy at the Combine and will work with them this season.”

Mike Vrabel Was Among Most Successful NFL Coaches Over Past 6 Seasons

Vrabel served as head coach of the Titans for six seasons between 2018-23, leading the team to the playoffs in three consecutive years from 2019-21, including a berth in the AFC Championship Game in 2019.

He finished his tenure in Tennessee with a 54-45 regular-season record and a 2-3 mark in the playoffs. Vrabel won the NFL Coach of the Year Award for his work during the 2021 campaign.

Vrabel played 14 years in the NFL as a linebacker across stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. He won three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots in the early 2000s and earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors after the 2007 campaign. He retired from the league following the 2010 season.

That Vrabel was unable to find a head coaching position this offseason came as something of a surprise considering all of his success over the past three decades as a coach and a player, as well as the generally high level of respect with which he is regarded around the NFL.

It is something of a boon for the Browns’ staff that Vrabel fell into their collective lap, even if he only remains with the organization for one season before getting a shot as he head coach somewhere in 2025.

Kevin Stefanski Hasn’t Received Contract Extension, Current Deal Expires After Next Season

That said, Zac Jackson of The Athletic on Friday examined more closely Cleveland’s decision to add Vrabel, specifically in the context of Stefanski’s job status. The reigning Coach of the Year — who has won the award twice in four seasons with the Browns — is in line for a contract extension, though has yet to receive it.

The Browns’ hire of [Vrabel] to a consultant’s role is surprising — and worth further examination. Is this the Browns just trying to make themselves better via an avenue that was unexpected for all parties? It’s nothing deeper than that, right? … Probably not, so there’s likely nothing to see here. Vrabel is just suddenly free.

When Vrabel was head coach of the Titans, he hired Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to a consultant’s role when Schwartz was recovering from health issues that forced him to step away from his job with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Schwartz has clout in the building. Vrabel has clout throughout the league. … And it’s probably no deeper than the Browns bringing another good football coach into the building, even if the timing is strange.

Jackson noted that Vrabel could have taken a year off or spent the 2024 season working in television, which adds some intrigue to his new position with the Browns. If things somehow sour with Stefanski in charge, Vrabel will presumably have the inside track to the top job on the Cleveland sideline.

That said, Stefanski’s extension could come soon, which would put any speculation to bed. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on February 10 that both Stefanski and Berry are likely to earn extensions this offseason.

“Expect contract extensions to occur for Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry sometime this offseason,” Fowler wrote. “Both have matching five-year deals that are set to expire after the 2024 season. They performed well this past year to execute a playoff push, and all signs point to them being in Cleveland for the foreseeable future.”