With the dramatic turn-around of the Patriots-- including a seemingly instant culture-change, an MVP candidacy for Drake Maye, and a potential second Coach of the Year award for Mike Vrabel-- every major media outlet in existence has spent significant airtime bashing the Titans for what was a controversial (and largely unpopular) move in January of 2024. Vrabel had established himself as one of the better coaches in the sport, led the team to annual contender status, and won Coach of the Year after securing the number one seed in the AFC with one of the most injury-riddled teams in NFL history.
Then after two sub-.500 years and multiple reports of internal power struggles, Vrabel was fired. Some in the fan base felt it was the right decision; others were shocked by the move and still feel the wounds nearly two years later. Vrabel had already won more games halfway through his first season in New England than Titans have in the last two years. No matter where you stood at the time, it is hard to look back at that firing now as anything but a massive misstep by an owner that feels less competent and qualified by the week.
Then last week on ESPN Radio's "Unsportsmanlike," the knife was dug in a little further by a "one that got away" bracket game. Vrabel with the Titans was both the number one seed in the hypothetical bracket and the overall winner. If they had not already, any Titans fan who heard this broadcast had to come away thinking: "What if...?"
With that in mind, we decided to play a hypothetical game of our own and ask the very question which has plagued us. So let's pretend the Titans never fired Mike Vrabel and imagine what the the last two years would have been like.
ESPN Radio hands Titans brutal 'What If' scenario
2024 Without Callahan
The Titans begin the 2024 season hopeful, with a young new quarterback, a new contract for Derrick Henry (two years, around $12 million per), and (given Vrabel's style, one must assume) an upgraded offensive line via the draft and free agency.
Back in reality, the Titans did little to improve the line aside from drafting a right tackle early in the first round and trying to make him play left tackle, as well as signing a quality center to a record-breaking deal. They also signed Tony Pollard, which felt redundant, given the performance of Tyjae Spears late in 2023. They would lose their first three games and six of their first seven.
While no amount of coaching could fix Will Levis, Vrabel's situational genius and conservative offensive style, would likely lead the team to home wins over the Jets and Colts, as well as the MNF road win in Miami. The team enters November with a record of 3-4. They will go on to win five more games, finishing the season 8-9 and out of the playoffs for the third straight season.
The Callahan-led Titans won two games the rest of the way, finishing 3-14 and securing the number one pick in the draft.
2025 Without Cam Ward
With three straight seasons under .500, Vrabel would enter 2025 with an increasingly warm seat. However, he escaped much of the blame for the team's performance (as did Callahan IRL), as Will Levis proved responsible for much of the failure. The bright side of this was proof that the team needed to address the quarterback position. At 8-9, Tennessee is picking 17th, with only one quarterback off the board.
The question becomes: do they draft Jaxson Dart at 17? Or sign Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones in free agency? We will never know for sure, but we will give them the cheaper option in Dart.
With Jaxson Dart under center, more upgrades to the offensive line and defense, 2025 starts off rough for a Titans team with a tough schedule to start. We'll give them a close win over Denver in Week 1, followed by three straight losses to the Rams, Colts, and at Houston. October goes better with three straight wins then a close loss at Indy leaves them 4-4. Dart continues to find his way; Henry continues to be ageless; and Vrabel's coaching shines in home wins over the Chargers and Texans.
Now we move into the future, but hey, this is all made up anyway.
Tennessee finishes the season 10-7 and on the fringe of wild card playoff status. Just as importantly, things have turned around from those bad years, and the future is bright with a new QB and consistent, top-tier leadership.
Well that was fun
Let us be clear, we ARE NOT saying we would prefer Dart over Ward. Ward still is the better prospect with the brighter future. However, Dart has proven to be a capable starter in the NFL, at worst. So far, Number 1 is the only good thing to come out of the last two seasons, but that could change soon. If the team can get this next coaching hire right, give him the leeway and resources to succeed, and continue to develop their young signal-caller, the future could still be very bright in Nashville. And we can finally move on from the ghost of Mike Vrabel.