On paper, the hapless Tennessee Titans look like a perfect trade partner for the New England Patriots ahead of the deadline. The NFL doesn’t operate solely on paper, though.
The Titans are on their way to another lost season and should be a seller before Tuesday afternoon’s trade deadline. One Patriots insider, though, believes Tennessee and New England won’t be doing business, in part because of the fallout from how it ended with now-Patriots coach Mike Vrabel in Nashville.
“I was also told there has been some conversation league-wide that Tennessee might be unwilling to make deals with New England because the owner, Amy Adams Strunk, continues to think too much about how things ended with Vrabel and is not inclined to help his new team,” Boston Sports Journal writer Mike Giardi wrote in his most recent “Mike’s Musings” piece.
Vrabel spent six seasons as the head coach of the Titans where he restored the franchise’s legitimacy. The Titans won at least nine games in each of his first four seasons on the sideline before winning a combined 13 games over his last two campaigns. The Titans then fired Vrbael after the 2023 season.
After a year away from the NFL, the Patriots hired Vrabel after one disastrous season with Jerod Mayo as head coach. Vrabel has turned things around in a hurry, winning seven of his first nine games in New England, while the Titans recently fired head coach Brian Callahan. That move coincidentally came a week before Vrabel and the Patriots went to Tennessee and beat up the Titans to the tune of 31-13.
If Giardi’s report is true, it’s a potential missed opportunity for both teams. The Titans should be ready to hold an auction on any player, and it’s basic business to include all suitors, especially teams like the Patriots, who are contending.
For the Patriots, multiple players could help New England. A player like receiver Calvin Ridley would certainly make sense, and he was a free agent target for the Patriots before signing with the Titans. If New England wanted to add depth to the running back room in the wake of a season-ending injury to Antonio Gibson and the recent injury to Rhamondre Stevenson, Titans veteran back Tony Pollard could make sense, too.
“New England is without starter Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) for Week 9, and though that could mean more work for rookie TreVeyon Henderson, the Pats haven’t yet shown they trust Henderson with between-the-tackles work and are looking for a veteran to add depth even if Stevenson’s absence is short term,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote on Oct. 2. “(If it’s long term, expect the Patriots to get aggressive in trying to add a running back.)”
Graziano noted AFC contenders like Kansas City and Houston would be in the market for a running back, too, and missing out on someone like Pollard out of stubbornness would be a tough pill to swallow.
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