When the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, they hired him to bring the franchise back to prominence. He did that right away, playing for a Super Bowl in his first year in New England.
That caught the eye of folks around the NFL, including with the Tennessee Titans, where Vrabel had previously been the head coach. Now, defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, who played for Vrabel in Tennessee, opened up about watching that from a distance and admitting he dealt with some jealousy.
“I think we all would be surprised if this guy, first year in New England, they go straight to the Super Bowl,” Simmons said. “First off, I’m jealous as hell. Like what? I was just with you four years, and you couldn’t get me to the Super Bowl?”
Vrabel was the Titans head coach from 2018 to 2023, using a first-round pick on Simmons back in 2019. That same year began three straight seasons of making the playoffs, but never going to the Super Bowl. Vrabel would be fired following the 2023 season, which did mark two seasons in a row without a playoff appearance, but in the two seasons since, things have only gotten worse for Tennessee, going 3-14 twice.
Despite that, Simmons wasn’t actually upset with Vrabel. Instead, he emphasized that he still has a strong relationship with the Patriots head coach.
“But I could call Vrabel right now and he’d answer the phone. You build that relationship off the football field, and I think that’s the thing with Vrabel,” Simmons added.
Several Tennessee Titans Have Joined Mike Vrabel With the New England Patriots
GettyMike Vrabel and A.J. Brown with the Tennessee Titans
When Mike Vrabel first landed with the New England Patriots, there was an immediate effort to bring in players who he was familiar with. That meant raiding the Tennessee Titans.
Going into the 2025 season, the Patriots added Harold Landry, Jack Gibbens, Caleb Murphy, and Robert Spillane. They all spent at least one year under Vrabel in Tennessee, and those moves helped get New England to that Super Bowl.
Then, the 2026 offseason was marked by another former Titans star joining Vrabel in New England. After months of rumors, the Patriots traded for A.J. Brown, who played for Vrabel in Tennessee before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in a move Vrabel was against at the time.
Brown had made it very clear that he wanted to rejoin Vrabel in New England above other options. He would even publicly credit Vrabel’s coaching for the success he did find early in his professional career.
“When I first got to Tennessee he was extremely tough on me, and I didn’t really understand what he was trying to do,” Brown said. “Obviously he was trying to push me to become the player I am today, but he was just so tough. I remember a conversation, I was talking to him, like, ‘You don’t have to humble me. I came from humble beginnings.’ I just never understood, he stayed on me all the time… He was holding me accountable, and we grew close over the years.”
FPI is Doubtful Vrabel, Patriots Can Repeat Success
GettyMike Vrabel coaching the New England Patriots
ESPN recently updated FPI for the upcoming NFL season. FPI, or Football Power Index, is an analytical model designed to project future outcomes. That includes for the upcoming Super Bowl.
Per FPI, the Patriots have just a 2.7% chance to win the Super Bowl in 2026. Those are the 14th-best odds in the entire NFL. That makes the Patriots the first team in the history of FPI to make the Super Bowl and be outside the FPI’s Top 10 Super Bowl odds a season later.
It’s the Los Angeles Rams who have the best odds overall, at a 14.9% chance. Within the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills actually have the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl, at 10.7%. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the Patriots in last year’s Super Bowl, have 7.0% odds to repeat, which is fourth-best in the NFL.
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