Titans Shouldn't Move on from Mike Vrabel Amid Patriots, NFL Trade Rumors

The NFL's offseason hiring cycle officially began on Monday, as the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons fired head coaches Ron Rivera and Arthur Smith, respectively.

Washington and Atlanta join a list of teams already in the coaching market, one that already included the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers.

The Tennessee Titans are not on that list, yet. This could change in the coming days after Mike Vrabel meets with Tennessee, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

"There are expected to be organizational meetings between coach Mike Vrabel and the team's decision-makers to determine whether any notable changes will be made, league sources told ESPN. There are people around the league who think that either Vrabel would be open to be moved to another team or that the Titans would be open to moving him -- maybe both."

According to Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Vrabel may have one very specific destination in mind.

"As the Titans weigh HC Mike Vrabel's future this week, he's interested in the idea of returning to the Patriots, should New England part ways with Bill Belichick," Schultz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Belichick's situation will be one of the NFL's biggest storylines in the coming days. New England may indeed look to move on from its longtime coach following a disappointing 4-13 campaign. All we know right now, though, is that Belichick is still under contract with New England.

"I'm under contract. I'm going to do what I always do, which is every day I come in, work as hard as I can to help the team in whatever way I can," Belichick told reporters on Monday.

If Belichick does depart New England, and the Patriots offer Vrabel the opportunity—Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reported during the season that Vrable is the Patriots' "home run choice"—Tennessee may have little choice but to make a coaching change. If Vrable becomes adamant about leaving, resisting his desire would not make for a good relationship.

Until/unless that happens, however, controlling franchise owner Amy Adams Strunk and Tennessee's decision-makers should have no interest in moving on from Vrabel—who, for the time being, wants to remain in Tennessee.

"Of course I want to be here," Vrabel said, per Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press

Yes, the past two seasons haven't gone as desired. Injuries played a massive role in the 2022 collapse, though, and Vrabel simply wasn't provided with a strong defensive roster this year.

Late wins over the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars show that Vrabel can still motivate his team. His players still believe in him.

"I feel like my entire career here, situationally I've been as prepared as I can possibly be for every game," linebacker Harold Landry III said, per Terry McCormick of Titans Insider. "I feel like if you just look at this past game, guys were playing hard for him. Guys want to win for him."

And Vrabel has shown that he can get his players to win. Tennessee has won the AFC South twice and reached the playoffs three times in his six seasons. While the Titans haven't won a playoff game since 2019, they did reach the AFC Championship that year.

Despite dealing with a lackluster secondary, several players on injured reserve and a shuffling between quarterbacks Will Levis and Ryan Tannehill, the Titans were competitive this season.

Their 6-11 record might not reflect that, but consider that two losses came in overtime and four came by three or fewer points. All 11 of Tennessee's losses came against teams that either are in the playoffs or weren't eliminated until the final week.

The Titans have $79.1 million in projected 2024 cap space, second-most in the NFL. They can improve their roster quickly, and Vrabel has shown that he can deliver results. A new coach would most likely bring uncertainty to the job.

The presence of Levis, who flashed as a rookie and might just be Tennessee's long-term answer at quarterback, is another factor to consider. Starting over from scratch is rarely a recipe for a young quarterback's success, unless situations of complete dysfunction are involved.

Tennessee's situation is not like that of the Carolina Panthers or the 2021 Jaguars. The Titans are 54-45 under Vrabel, who can provide Levis with something quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield and Justin Fields didn't get early in their careers: Stability.

That stability extends to the front office, where Vrabel reportedly has a good relationship with general manager Ran Carthon, who was hired in 2023.

"Sources say Vrabel has not approached ownership with any concerns about the structure of the organization or his alignment with general manager Ran Carthon," NFL Media's Tom Pelissero wrote on Sunday.

If Vrabel's vision for the Titans is still in line with the rest of the organization's, and he's still passionate about coaching his team, why would Tennessee want to turn the page on its most successful coaching tenure since the early Jeff Fischer days?

It shouldn't, not until Vrabel finds a more promising opportunity and is very clear about his desire to pursue it.