As soon as the New England Patriots’ 2025 schedule was released in May, Week 7 was circled on the calendar.
Mike Vrabel is obviously not going to stir the pot publicly — and he certainly hasn’t yet in early sessions with the media — but there’s little doubt how the Patriots’ head coach feels about returning to Tennessee to play the crumbling Titans on Sunday.
This week’s business trip to Nashville will have some added stakes for New England.
Vrabel was fired by Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk in 2024 for a multitude of reasons, but the undeniable factor was 18 losses over his final 24 games. Per The Athletic, a deteriorating relationship with ownership — and an in-season visit to Gillette Stadium to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame during the Titans' bye week — also played a role in Vrabel’s dismissal after six seasons.
Still, Vrabel should have earned himself more rope over the balance of his tenure. He went 56-48 overall, including 2-3 in the playoffs. The Titans reached the AFC Championship Game in 2019, his second season, and he was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in 2021.
This one definitely feels personal, and it’s safe to assume that Vrabel relishes the opportunity to bring his surging team into Tennessee, which is currently in an all-out tailspin. The Titans just fired head coach Brian Callahan — the man they hired to replace Vrabel two years ago — after a 1-5 start to the season; Vrabel’s Patriots already have more wins in six games than his replacement in Tennessee won over the last two seasons combined.
Patriots fans may never learn how Vrabel really feels about this week’s revenge game. Thankfully, old friend Tedy Bruschi dropped some not-so-subtle breadcrumbs for ESPN on Monday morning.
Patriots great Tedy Bruschi’s non-answer told fans all they needed to know about the Mike Vrabel revenge game
Vrabel had his first chance to discuss his return to Nashville during Monday’s weekly sit-down with WEEI sports radio, and his response was about what you would expect.
“I think it’s gonna feel different. It can’t be different, the way that we prepare, the way that we try to put together a game plan. But, I mean, to recognize the obvious, having spent time there, there’s a lot of people on the other side that I know or have coached or worked with.”
Bruschi hinted at feelings much bigger during Monday’s episode of Get Up.
Asked by host Mike Greenberg if his close friend and former Patriots teammate typically holds grudges, Brushchi smiled, looked straight into the camera, and delivered the money quote:
“Vrabes is still mad at me for the one time I picked against Tennessee when he was coaching there.”
It was a fun, lighthearted moment with a lot of laughter, but it’s what Bruschi didn’t say what carries the most weight. Patriots fans know how Vrabel operates. He’s as edgy and quick-witted as they come, and you can almost visualize the wry smirk on his face from the sideline as his Patriots take advantage of his signature slogan for 2025 — bad football from opponents who can’t get out of their own way.
No NFL team is playing worse football right now than the last-place Titans, who have a minus-78 point differential through the first third of the season, and a rookie quarterback in Cam Ward who’s been thrown right into the fire (with no help around him).
Tennessee has gone one direction since clearing out the Vrabel regime, and that’s down the drain. Sunday’s matchup will feature two teams on different trajectories, and you can bet Vrabel will have his ascending team locked in and ready to pour some salt in the wounds of the franchise that bailed at the first sign of trouble.