Titans Will Get Early Look at Patriots' Mike Vrabel

Former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel will lead the New England Patriots next year.

Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel heads off the field during warmups at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. Vrabel was fired by owner Amy Adams Strunk Monday after having two consecutive losing seasons. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Tennessee Titans and the rest of the NFL are reacting to the New England Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel as their next head coach following the dismissal of first-year head coach Jerod Mayo one week ago.

Vrabel, 49, went 54-45 in six years as head coach of the Titans. He led Tennessee to three postseason appearances from 2019-21, including a trip to the AFC Championship in 2019. That year, the Titans were just one win away from advancing to the Super Bowl before losing to the eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs, who were led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

This past season, Vrabel was a coaching consultant for the Cleveland Browns after not getting a job elsewhere during the year.

Now, Vrabel is set to be the third coach in three years for the Patriots after Bill Belichick left in 2023 and Mayo was fired after 2024.

In his first season at the helm, Vrabel will get the chance to face his former team as the Patriots are scheduled to visit the Titans at Nissan Stadium at some point during the year. The Titans will face the Pats as part of the AFC's fourth-place schedule.

Vrabel will now be tasked for carrying the iconic Patriots torch after a dynasty that emerged into one of the best in professional sports.

It won't be an easy task, but Vrabel will certainly have to fall on some of the experiences he had with the Titans to help guide him through the Patriots' rebuild, especially after the team finished 4-13 this past season.

The full schedule for the 2025 NFL season will be released in May, and that's when it will be officially revealed when Vrabel and the Patriots will come down to the Music City to face the Titans.

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