Mike Vrabel Reportedly Won't Receive Tribute From Titans During Return With Patriots

Mike Vrabel's return to Nissan Stadium as a head coach for the first time since being fired by the Tennessee Titans won't include a tribute to his six seasons with the organization.

NFL insider Paul Kuharsky noted on X that there is no tribute to Vrabel being planned by the Titans for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.

The Titans are in the midst of more coaching turnover going into this game. They fired Brian Callahan on Monday after a 1-5 start. Mike McCoy will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Given that the separation between Vrabel and the Titans after the 2023 season was acrimonious, it's unlikely that Vrabel would even want to be acknowledged by the organization.

Vrabel was fired by the Titans in January 2024 after six seasons with the club. The Athletic's Dianna Russini and Joe Rexrode reported in the aftermath of the decision that it was a "culmination of events" between the two sides.

Examples cited included Vrabel feeling that Ran Carthon, who was hired as general manager in January 2023, wasn't ready for the job and that Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk was "unhappy" when Vrabel used the team's bye week to attend his induction into the Patriots' Hall of Fame during a game against the Buffalo Bills.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted after the firing that Strunk, who made the decision, didn't like that Vrabel didn't do anything to dispel rumors he wanted to become New England's head coach.

There was also speculation that Strunk may have been unhappy by comments Vrabel made during his induction speech into the Patriots' Hall of Fame that could have been interpreted as a dig at the Titans organization.

"I want you not to take this organization for granted," Vrabel told the crowd at Gillette Stadium. "I've been a lot of places. This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, great coaching. Enjoy it. It's not like this everywhere."

After being fired by the Titans, Vrabel spent the 2024 season with the Cleveland Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant on Kevin Stefanski's staff. He was hired by the Patriots as their head coach in January.

Vrabel went 54-45 with three playoff appearances in six seasons with the Titans from 2018 to '23. His 54 wins are the third-most in franchise history, trailing only Jeff Fisher (142) and Bum Phillips (55).

The Titans will host the Patriots at Nissan Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.