NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Tennessee Titans Super Bowl chances shrink after 2022 NFL Draft

By Brendan Danaher

A.J. Brown (11), wide receiver -- Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019.Titans 121519 002
A.J. Brown (11), wide receiver -- Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019.Titans 121519 002 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Tennessee Titans
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JANUARY 22: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans runs off the field following the Titans 19-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Nissan Stadium on January 22, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Mike Vrabel responds to the AJ Brown trade after initial comments

Mike Vrabel, Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans, was the Coach of the Year for the 2021 season. Vrabel should have his say as far as personnel goes as he is a consummate professional, a leader, and he connects with his players on a level many other head coaches cannot.

When asked about AJ Brown no longer being a Tennessee Titan (three weeks ago) Vrabel was quoted on the Rich Eisen Show stating that Brown was not on the trade block “not as long as I am the coach”.

The media responded accordingly after the Brown-Eagles trade and Vrabel was clearly not amused…

Vrabel did not make the statement as satire or just because it was what he should be saying; it was the truth.

This was a decision beyond Mike Vrabel and it was clear in his body language on Thursday night (the first night of the draft) that he was stressed and unhappy about this decision. The Tennessee Titans front office did make reportedly make AJ Brown an offer but it was not near top-tier receiver pay.

The decision clearly came down to the owner, Amy Strunk, and General Manager Jon Robinson, who elected not to pay Brown and instead draft his replacement.

Will this create some animosity between Vrabel and the front office? Absolutely, how could it not? Vrabel is essentially getting the message to do more, with less. Burks is fully capable but he would be an excellent addition with AJ Brown, not independent of him.

Also, the move to draft Willis can obviously have negative effects on Tannehill that Vrabel may have to deal with. Vrabel may be expected to ride out the season with a very talented but very raw rookie receiver in Malik Willis.

The front office has created a rift and gave birth to several in-house issues that may not have been there if certain moves had not been made.

The team may have been able to recover from the AJ Brown trade but diminishing the confidence of their starting quarterback while making one of the best coaches in the league feel undermined is a recipe for disaster.

The Tennessee Titans as a franchise will suffer as a whole and even if they win the AFC South it seems extremely unlikely they advance in the playoffs if they even reach the postseason. And the 2022 NFL Draft is where these problems should have been solved, instead, that is where they originated.

Home/AFC South