The Patriots could be in the market for a new head coach after this season, and Titans coach Mike Vrabel is in the Patriots Hall of Fame after spending eight of his 14 NFL seasons with them. Of course, social media linked these facts.
That, combined with questions about the fit between Vrabel and general manager Ran Carthon, has led to speculation about whether Vrabel will play his final game against the Titans on Sunday.
However, Vrabel made it clear on Wednesday that he intends to remain with the team in 2024.
“Of course I want to be here,” Vrabel said, via Teresa Walker of the Associated Press. “Be here as long as we can win, as long as we can get this thing done, and it’s been great. But it was only like this this year. And no one wants to be where we are.”
Vrabel was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021, but the Titans were 7-10 last season and are 5-11 this season. He is 55-48 since the Titans hired him before the 2018 season and the team signed him to a contract extension after the 2021 season.
Vrabel said he hasn't addressed talk about his future with his team.
“If we believed everything on social media, it would be Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, and there is no tooth fairy, you know that,” Vrabel said. “So I really never responded to any of this and we’re not going to start now.
“I know where we are as an organization and I'm excited to build and fix this thing and get it to where we want it to be to win championships with Ran and others [assistant G.M.] Chad [Brinker] and the coaching staff and everyone. That is our goal. But no, social media and where that is, I can’t focus on that.”
The Titans will have a top-eight draft pick in April and are projected to have the second-most cap space heading into the offseason.