Despite Michael Lombardi's quote over the holiday weekend, Mike Vrabel is under contract as the Tennessee Titans head coach for two more years.
Whether that is a good thing for the Tennessee Titans is a very fair question, but the point is that Amy Adams Strunk only has to look for a new head coach this offseason if she wants to.
If you are asking why that is important, you might have missed Michael Lombardi bringing up Vrabel's contract status during a discussion about him potentially being a target for the New England Patriots this offseason.
What Lombardi says about the Patriots holds more weight than what other people say given his long history with Bill Belichick and the fact that he worked for the Patriots from 2014-2016. Even though the information has a little bit, this isn't the first time that we have heard rumors about Vrabel that have come from people that have a past with the Patriots.
In the clip below, Lombardi talks about friction between Vrabel and GM Ran Carthon potentially causing this as well as saying that "he can't be happy with Will Levis."
Here’s the clip from the @GM_ReShuffle podcast with Mike Lombardi: pic.twitter.com/8fM7wlRPOq
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) January 1, 2024
After this went viral, Lombardi said that he misspoke about Vrabel's contract. I thought that would have put the issue to bed, but like all rumors, once something gets started and catches fire it is impossible to completely snuff it out.
That brings me to something that has been a running theme for the Tennessee Titans for months at this point, and that is that the New England Patriots are clearly interested in going after Mike Vrabel as their next head coach.
While I don't believe that Lombardi has any inside information on the relationship between Ran Carthon and Mike Vrabel, or how much Vrabel likes Will Levis, I do think there is some truth in the idea that the Patriots still believe that Mike Vrabel can be the heir-apparent to Bill Belichick in New England.
For months the rumors have circulated with reports from the North East saying that Vrabel might want out and then reports from Dianna Russini about how the Tennessee Titans would never waver in their unflinching commitment to one of the best coaches in the NFL.
As Black Monday creeps closer, I would expect that we are going to hear more and more about how Vrabel isn't happy in Tennessee or that there are issues in the building that could motivate a change of scenery. Those rumors are coming from New England to explain why the Patriots would be interested in trading for a coach who has one of the worst records in the NFL over the last year+ and whose team got worse when he was given more control.
Take all of these rumors with a grain of salt, but given just how bad the Tennessee Titans have been over the last year and a half (5 wins, 18 losses so far) Amy Adams Strunk should be begging for someone to send her a lifeline.
Whatever plan Vrabel had last year was a complete failure and this isn't going to be a team ready to go on a run next year. If a coaching change is coming in the next 12 months either way, then why not get something while you can before he potentially has a third-straight losing season and all of the shine is off of the apple?
The Titans have one game left and FanDuel Sportsbook is giving you a $150 bonus for any $5 bet vs. the Jaguars! Deposit at least $10 and bet $5 or more on the Titans and you'll get $150 in bonus bets win or lose. The offer expires soon, so sign up for FanDuel today!