Vrabel Provides Specific Info on Video Chat with Brady
Mike Vrabel said it was no different than any conversation any long-time friends might have on any weekend, any place.
This one, which took place in the form of a video chat, made national headlines, though, because Vrabel was seen chatting with former teammate and soon-to-be-free-agent quarterback Tom Brady. A bystander seated nearby at a Syracuse basketball game, where Brady was seated alongside current teammate Julian Edelman and talk show host Jimmy Fallon, caught a snippet of the interaction and posted it on Twitter.
Some saw it as evidence that Brady will sign with the Tennessee Titans after 20 seasons with the New England Patriots.
“Listen, my relationship goes back to 2001 with Tom Brady,” Vrabel said Friday morning during an appearance on the NFL Network's Good Morning Football. “… Those friendships are not going to stop or not continue to grow and develop now that I’m a head coach and he’s a quarterback with an expiring contract. And those are going to continue on well after we’re done playing – with his family, with my family.
“… There’s a special bond that goes on in the locker room, and that’s not going to stop.”
Specifically, he added that he did inquire about Edelman’s hair and the possibility that highlights recently had been added.
Vrabel did not specifically address whether Tennessee plans to re-sign quarterback Ryan Tannehill, also scheduled to be a free agent, or pursue another option (read: Brady). Tannehill went 7-3 as the starter after he replaced Marcus Mariota in Week 7 and was a part of two playoff victories, which earned the Titans a place in the AFC Championship.
Tannehill, running back Derrick Henry, cornerback Logan Ryan and right tackle Jack Conklin are the most prominent players scheduled to become free agents when the NFL’s new contract year starts March 18.
“The business of football to me is everyday [general manager] Jon [Robinson] and I are trying to look for players that are younger and cheaper and that the players in those seats are doing everything they possibly can to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Vrabel said. “I recognize that that’s what the definition of the business of football is.
“… But we always recognize those players that have helped us get to where we are.”
