The list of Chargers coaching candidates continued to grow Thursday.
Former Stanford coach David Shaw and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel were interviewed to replace Brandon Staley as the Chargers’ next coach. Shaw and Vrabel were the 10th and 11th prospective coaches to be interviewed, according to the team.
In addition, the Chargers are now in compliance with the NFL’s Rooney Rule and are free to hire their new coach. Shaw would be an intriguing choice, having coached at Stanford for 16 seasons, including 12 as the head coach. He didn’t coach this past season, but he did interview for the Denver Broncos’ job last year.
Denver went on to hire Sean Payton as its coach.
Shaw, 51, departed Stanford as the winningest coach in school history with a 96-54 record. Three of his players were Heisman Trophy finalists: Running back Bryce Love in 2007, quarterback Andrew Luck in 2011 and running back Christian McCaffrey in 2015.
Luck (first overall) and McCaffrey (eighth) were top-10 NFL draft picks.
Vrabel, 48, was a defensive coordinator with the Houston Texans in 2017 before he was hired to be the head coach of the Titans. He spent six seasons with Tennessee and compiled a 54-45 record before the Titans fired him on Jan. 9 after they finished out of the playoff picture with a 6-11 record.
Related Articles
Chargers interview Ed Dodds, Jeff Ireland for vacant GM position
Chargers interview Brian Callahan, Terrance Gray for coach, GM jobs
Chargers interview Jim Harbaugh for vacant coaching job
Chargers to reportedly interview Jim Harbaugh next week
Chargers interview Giants’ Brandon Brown for GM position
Vrabel is a former NFL linebacker who played 14 seasons with the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots. He began his coaching career as a linebackers coach at Ohio State, his alma mater, in 2011.
The Chargers began interviewing candidates to replace Staley on Jan. 9, starting with interim coach Giff Smith and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is the most high-profile candidate to interview so far, and the favorite among NFL pundits and Las Vegas oddsmakers.
The Chargers were the first team to interview Vrabel and Harbaugh, but they aren’t likely to be the last. Vrabel has an interview scheduled with the Atlanta Falcons next week, according to reports, and he could also talk with the Seattle Seahawks about replacing Pete Carroll as their coach.