The head coaching turnover in the NFL over the last few years has been quite historic, with some teams deciding to let go of trusted leaders in hopes of getting back on track with a new staff for the following season. The Patriots are among those teams, as they moved on from Bill Belichick after two decades, which was certainly one of the more surprising decisions of the 2023 offseason.
But along with that was the Titans' decision to let go of Mike Vrabel after six seasons, a move that was almost as unexpected, even if he didn't have the same pedigree as Belichick.
That made the Patriots fortunate to have the chance to make him their next head coach, after Robert Kraft chose to move on from Jerod Mayo after just one season. There is a lot of optimism about what Vrabel can do with the team moving forward, which is not something the Titans can say about their Vrabel replacement, Brian Callahan.
Despite having the number one overall pick this year to completely turn around their roster, things are not off to a good start in Tennessee this year, and Callahan is already in the hot seat going into his second season. It's looking more and more like the higher-ups in Nashville are regretting their decision to move on from a proven coach.
The Patriots could potentially face their first head coach-less team in just a few weeks
The Titans' latest loss to the Texans in Week 4, which was a 26-0 blowout, is just the latest straw that appears to have broken the camel's back for Callahan, who hasn't been nearly as successful in Vrabel's place as the higher-ups were hoping for.
His job security is now something to watch for in New England, as the Patriots face the Titans in Week 7 on the road. It's certainly possible that Callahan could be fired before that, or if the Patriots manage to secure a win, it could be what leads to his being let go.
There's a chance Brian Callahan is no longer the coach in Tennessee when the Patriots go there for Mike Vrabel's return in Week 7. https://t.co/1CM8BIWs5v
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) September 28, 2025
Seeing Vrabel exact revenge on the team that abruptly let him go would be an incredible feat for the Patriots to accomplish, and a nice way for Vrabel to put the cherry on top of a massive mistake by the Titans letting him go.
It would be even more ironic if he coached the team that ultimately led to Callahan's dismissal, too.
Regardless, it's safe to say he's in the hot seat, even though they were able to select the best quarterback of the 2025 class and have faced a few beatable teams to start the year. That continues over the next two weeks before the Patriots come to town, so there is a chance they could make things right with wins over the Cardinals and the Raiders.
But the likelihood of that is looking low, and the Patriots would gladly hand them another L in just a few weeks.