Mike Vrabel Rumors: New Details On Why Titans Fired Coach

Mike Vrabel finished below .500 in each of his final two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. But on-field performance wasn’t the primary reason for his firing, according to multiple reports.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Wednesday that Vrabel was let go in Tennessee because his vision no longer aligned with that of team owner Amy Adams Strunk.

Adams Strunk said in a statement announcing Vrabel’s firing that she wanted her organization to be more “aligned” and “collaborative.”

“Why did Mike Vrabel get fired? Because of bad communication,” Russini said on “The Dan LeBatard Show.” “… It’s always at the center of relationships, and that’s why we’re harping on this right now, because that’s the problem with a lot of these organizations.

“Organizations that have these visions, that buy into the identity of what these head coaches want, and then somewhere along the way, there’s disconnect. There’s feelings hurt. There’s egos involved, and that vision they had on Day 1 at the press conference … in the end, something happens. The wear and tear of it.

“And I think in Tennessee, that’s what happened. I think the Titans were worn out by Mike Vrabel. The things that they love about him, the reasons why they’ve had so much success over the years, I believe, are the same reasons that got him fired.”

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier Wednesday that Adams Strunk also wasn’t pleased with Vrabel’s behavior during his October trip to New England for his Patriots Hall of Fame induction. Rapoport’s report also pointed to Vrabel, the 2021 NFL Coach of the Year, “not dispelling rumors in-house that he was going to be the Patriots’ head coach.”

Whether Vrabel now will become head coach in New England remains to be seen. The two sides reportedly have mutual interest, but the Patriots had yet to reach a decision on the fate of current head coach Bill Belichick as of Wednesday afternoon.