Mike Vrabel Rumors: Firing Partly Caused By Patriots Hall Of Fame Speech

Mike Vrabel probably wasn't trying to get fired during his Patriots Hall of Fame celebration. But he apparently sowed the seeds of his Titans departure with the way he conducted himself during the late-October trip to New England.

"This was (Titans owner) Amy Adams Strunk making the decision based on a lot of things," NFL Media's Ian Rapoport said Wednesday. "Including what happened when he went to New England for the Hall of Fame thing. Including not dispelling rumors in-house that he was going to be the Patriots coach."

Vrabel, whom Tennessee fired Tuesday, spoke glowingly about the Patriots during a Week 7 halftime speech at Gillette Stadium. He also began the speech by saying, "Come on, we've got a game to win," amid deafening cheers from fans.

"I want you not to take this organization for granted," the former Patriots linebacker said. "I've been a lot of places. This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, great coaching. Enjoy it. It's not like this everywhere."

It was a weird look for the head coach of an AFC rival. So, too, was Vrabel sitting next to Robert Kraft while watching the game from a luxury box.

The door now is open for Vrabel to reunite with the Patriots, who reportedly are leaning toward moving on from head coach Bill Belichick. At least one report indicates there's "mutual interest" between Vrabel and the franchise with which he won three Super Bowls.