Rookie quarterback Will Levis was one of several Tennessee Titans players who spoke with reporters on Monday about head coach Mike Vrabel’s uncertain future.
“He’s gonna communicate with us as soon as he knows,” Levis said, according to Nick Suss of the Nashville Tennessean. “But I am sure he wants to be here…I adore everyone in this building. I hope things stay the same, and that we can all grow and stick together. Obviously, I have no say in any of those situations. But hopefully, it holds together and we can keep this thing going.”
Throughout December, it was suggested that Titans general manager Ran Carthon, who took over the job last offseason, would seek a mutual separation from Vrabel this winter. As of early Monday evening, there were more questions than answers about the validity of such perspectives:
Vrabel went 54-45 with the Titans over the last six regular seasons, but his teams won only two of five playoff games. The 48-year-old, who earned three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots from 2001 to 2008, has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Bill Belichick, but it was unclear whether team owner Robert Kraft and president Jonathan Kraft will move on from the longtime head coach this offseason.
“I believe in coach Vrabel’s message to us, but things don’t always go as planned,” Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said. “We hope to have him as our coach in the future. This is a business, so I’m not sure what will happen. “I am not hearing anything.”
On January 1, NFL insider Michael Lombardi reported that Vrabel has two years left on his contract. While Belichick is under contract through 2024, the Titans are not one of the few teams linked with the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach. Carthon could still seek compensation from any team for Vrabel’s services.
“The way he’s been about his business from the time I’ve met him speaks volumes about why people have the opinion about him that they did, which made me want to come here as well just hearing about the type of coach that he was and the type of person that he was,” Azeez Al-Shaair, a linebacker for the “I have the greatest respect for him. I obviously don’t make those decisions, but I hope he’s the head coach.
The Krafts may take several weeks to make a final decision on Belichick, which could impact Vrabel’s plans beyond January. Vrabel is still popular among Tennessee players, but he may see fixing a Patriots team that has missed the playoffs for the third time in four years as the natural next step in his coaching career.
