“Interesting, not important”: Mike Vrabel downplays emotional return to Tennessee
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel makes his return to Tennessee for the first time since his firing when they face the Titans on Sunday.
Two years after his controversial firing from the Tennessee Titans, Mike Vrabel is set to return to Nashville, but now as the head coach of the New England Patriots. Things didn’t improve for the Titans after that, and they’ve just fired Vrabel’s replacement, Brian Callahan, last week. Get ready for drama this Sunday - or not?
Mike Vrabel confirms he reached out to Brian Callahan after his firing earlier this week:
— Tom Carroll (@yaboiTCfresh) October 15, 2025
“…Of course I did. I don’t wanna see anybody that shares a job with you get let go. That’s a tough feeling. With family and school, whether it’s in college or pro, we’re in the media every… pic.twitter.com/FFFP2Nfr1K
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel addresses his emotional Tennessee homecoming
It could be considered a revenge game for Vrabel, whose firing was highly controversial at the time. But the fact that Tennessee is 1-5 may be revenge enough for Vrabel, who downplayed his return to Nisaan Stadium.
“There is going to be, probably, a lot to be said about this," said Vrabel. “I think it would be filed under the category of, is it interesting or important? I would probably say this would be very interesting, but in the end not very important to our preparation or what we need to continue to try to do to improve as a team.”
Vrabel, who led the Titans to four winning seasons and an overall 54-45 record before being dismissed in 2023, has found new life in New England. The Patriots are 4-2 and sit atop the AFC East, with second-year quarterback Drake Maye showing major promise under his leadership.
Drake Maye says Mike Vrabel’s message to the Patriots is ‘“ignore the noise”
— Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) October 15, 2025
“Him going back to a place where he coached — getting put on a hype train of the success we've had,
It’s a challenge for us to go keep proving week in and week out … you keep playing like this and… pic.twitter.com/UHmP0P0tC6
Meanwhile, the Titans continue to search for stability since his departure, making Vrabel’s return even more compelling. For now, though, the veteran coach is focused solely on keeping New England’s resurgence on track - not on revenge.
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