Mike Vrabel’s Patriots Comments Worth Revisiting After Firing

Will Mike Vrabel's October remarks at Gillette Stadium prove prophetic?

After being inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame midway through this season, Vrabel stressed how much appreciation he still had for the franchise with whom he won three Super Bowls.

"I want you not to take this organization for granted," the former Patriots linebacker told fans at halftime of New England's Week 7 win over the Buffalo Bills. "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."

On Tuesday, the door opened for Vrabel -- who watched that game from Patriots owner Robert Kraft's luxury box -- to potentially return to New England. The Tennessee Titans fired the 48-year-old head coach after back-to-back losing seasons and four straight years without a playoff win.

The surprise decision came at a time of great uncertainty for the Patriots, who have yet to announce whether they plan to retain or dismiss head coach Bill Belichick. If they choose the latter, Vrabel surely would be at or near the top of the list of Kraft's preferred replacements, alongside current New England linebackers coach Jerod Mayo.

Mayo, another Super Bowl-winning Patriots linebacker, is highly respected by New England's defensive players and a favorite of Kraft, but he lacks Vrabel's experience. Vrabel was hired by the Titans in 2018 after seven seasons as an assistant with the Houston Texans and at Ohio State. Mayo did not begin his coaching career until 2019.

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Vrabel's firing also means the Patriots now would not need to trade for him, though they still would be required to interview at least two external minority candidates to satisfy the NFL's Rooney Rule.

Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz on Monday reported Vrabel would be interested in rejoining the Patriots.

If the Patriots opt to retain Belichick -- who reportedly met with Kraft on Monday and planned to do so again in the coming days -- or promote Mayo or hire a different candidate, Vrabel would be a hot commodity on the coaching market. Though Tennessee went just 13-21 over his final two seasons, Vrabel is just two years removed from winning NFL Coach of the Year.

If nothing else, Vrabel's ouster adds another fascinating wrinkle into an unprecedented Patriots offseason.