With just one game left in the 2024 regular season, the head coaching cycle is about to heat up quite a bit. After he surprisingly didn't get hired last offseason former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is expected to be one of the top candidates available, and a recent development from his stint with the Cleveland Browns has opened the door for him to take a head coaching gig if he wants to.

While Vrabel may not have landed a head coaching job, he opted to stay in the game in 2024 as a coaching and personnel consultant with the Cleveland Browns. The 2024 campaign isn't over yet, but Vrabel's consulting agreement with the Browns reportedly expired on Monday, meaning he is free to interview for head coaching jobs if the opportunity arises.

“Mike Vrabel’s consulting agreement with the Cleveland Browns expired today, per league source,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on X, formerly Twitter.

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Mike Vrabel set to be one of the top head coaching candidates in the NFL

Cleveland Browns advisor Mike Vrabel during practice at the Browns training facility in Berea, Ohio.
Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Vrabel enjoyed a successful stint with the Titans from 2018-2023, but poor roster building led to the floor being pulled out from underneath him, and he ended up getting fired after the 2023 campaign. However, his stock across the league was still high, and while he didn't land a new head coaching gig last year, the expectation is that he will land one in the upcoming hiring cycle.

It may simply be a procedural move, but Vrabel has taken a step towards his next head coaching job now that his consulting gig with the Browns is over. And with several teams set to begin interviewing head coaching candidates over the coming weeks, Vrabel appears to be one of the top names to keep an eye on across the league.