Titans Owner’s Mike Vrabel Remarks Very Relevant To Patriots

As NFL fans and media members alike assessed the Bill Belichick situation, it seemed like the Patriots had three options for their head coach: release him, trade him or keep him.

Well, that list might actually have to be narrowed down to two.

Belichick's successor might have been made available Tuesday. The Titans shockingly fired Mike Vrabel, who probably could have fetched a quality return on the trade market. But as Tennessee owner Amy Adams Strunk explained in a team-posted interview, a deal would've been very complicated to reach, if not impossible.

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"There's a bit of misconception about a coach's contract, say versus a player's contract," Strunk said, as transcribed by ESPN. "A coach's contract, you can't trade them unless they are a willing partner to that trade."

Belichick, like Vrabel was presumed, probably could yield the Patriots a draft pick or two. But nothing the legendary head coach said to the media Monday indicated he would be a willing partner in trade discussions.

For starters, the 71-year-old went way against the grain when he reminded the world that he's still under contract. Perhaps even more stunning than discussing his Patriots pact was revealing he would be open to relinquishing general manager duties to stay on as head coach in New England. Those remarks and others conveyed a fairly clear message: Belichick will coach the Patriots until he's relieved of his duties, and he's not going to make anything easy on team ownership.

So, we can probably throw the idea of a Belichick trade out the window. In addition to his apparent preference to stay in Foxboro, Mass., Belichick surely detests the idea of a new team giving up valuable capital to acquire him. At that juncture, the Patriots would be nothing more than another opponent for Belichick, who long has gone the extra mile to make life difficult for his adversaries. Robert Kraft and company picking up assets for Belichick as they show him the door would be a win for New England, so the callous coach all but surely is going to make sure that never happens.

The future Pro Football Hall of Famer leaving the Patriots this offseason is a very distinct possibility. But New England fans shouldn't be surprised if/when he's lost for nothing in return.