Colin Cowherd Had Patriots Thought After Titans Fired Mike Vrabel

Colin Cowherd can't help but wonder if Mike Vrabel already started writing his next novel before the book was closed in Tennessee.

The Titans sent shockwaves around the NFL landscape Tuesday afternoon when they fired Vrabel, who led Tennessee to the playoffs in three of six seasons and won Coach of the Year in 2021. Vrabel should immediately become one of the most coveted coaches on the market, but Cowherd thinks the former linebacker might know where he wants to end up.

"So, it was a power struggle and they have let go of Mike Vrabel, who's a very good coach," Cowherd said Tuesday on FS1's "The Herd." "Now, that's interesting. Does Vrabel know he's the leader in the clubhouse for the Patriots job and when the Titans ownership came to him he said, you know, 'Go pound sand'? They fired him and he knows, 'OK, now that allows me to go get the job.'"

A report from Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz on Monday claimed Vrabel would be interested in becoming Patriots head coach if New England moved on from Bill Belichick. Belichick, as he made clear after the Patriots' season finale, still is under contract in Foxboro, Mass. and seemingly prefers to stay put rather than start fresh elsewhere.

Vrabel was rumored to be a "home run hire" for Kraft back in November when the Patriots really started to tailspin and Belichick's seat got hot. Vrabel now is readily available, but it remains to be seen if Kraft actually views the three-time Super Bowl champion as an upgrade over Belichick.