More details continue to emerge about the situation between the Tennessee Titans and head coach Mike Vrabel.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Vrabel has not approached owner Amy Adams Strunk about any issues with general manager Ran Carthon or how the organization is structured.
Sources say Vrabel has not approached ownership with any concerns about the structure of the organization or his alignment with general manager Ran Carthon, who was hired from the 49ers in January 2022.
We’ve seen no shortage of rumors and speculation about Vrabel possibly being unhappy with Carthon. If that’s the case, he apparently hasn’t told people above him.
Pelissero’s report does not include anything about a potential rift, and neither did the report of ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday, but Schefter’s did say that Vrabel’s future in Tennessee is “not settled.”
Another interesting tidbit coming out of Pelissero’s report is that Vrabel preferred former vice president of player personnel, Ryan Cowden, to become the next general manager.
Tennessee hired Carthon a year ago over in-house candidate Ryan Cowden, whom league sources believed to be Vrabel’s preferred candidate.
That’s not much of a surprise considering Vrabel tends to want to stick with the guys he knows. It is significant if you buy into the rumored rift between Vrabel and Carthon, though, as it’s possible Tennessee passing on Cowden left a bad taste in Vrabel’s mouth from the jump.
If the Titans and Vrabel do part, Pelissero says that there would be a “robust market” for the head coach, but he’s also under contract, which the NFL Network reporter says runs through 2025, with a team option for 2026.
As far as I can remember, the length of Vrabel’s extension was not known until this report.
Pelissero adds that “there’s no reason to believe Strunk would simply let him out” of his contract — and that would be the wise move considering what Vrabel could net the Titans in return in a trade.
We wrote something up on a potential Vrabel trade and what the Titans could get for him based on past head coach deals. You can check that out right here.
As both Pelissero and Schefter wrote, Vrabel is expected to meet with Titans brass after the conclusion of the season, where it is expected that both sides will discuss the direction of the franchise moving forward.
On the contrary, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that there is currently no meeting scheduled between Vrabel, Carthon and ownership. Russini is typically the most dialed-in national reporter when it comes to the Titans.
While conversations are expected at the end of any season between NFL owners, their general manager and head coach, I was told by multiple high ranking sources there is currently no meeting set between Titans ownership, general manager Ran Carthon, and head coach Mike Vrabel.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 7, 2024
Take that bit of information how you will.
I continue to believe that Vrabel will be here next season, but there’s been enough smoke about a possible divorce to not completely rule it out.
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