Titans Star ‘Jealous' of Mike Vrabel's Success With Patriots

Mike Vrabel made the playoffs three times as head coach of the Tennessee Titans but never made the Super Bowl.

The furthest the Titans made it was the AFC Championship Game in 2019 when they lost 35-24 on the road to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Vrabel had immediate success with the New England Patriots in his first season, leading the team to an appearance in the Super Bowl, though the Patriots lost 29-13 in February.

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During an appearance on Terron Armstead’s “The Set” on Thursday, Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons admitted he was jealous of the success Vrabel had in his first season with New England.

“Was I surprised?” Simmons said, via a transcription from NFL Media. “Um, man, I think we all would be surprised if this guy, first year in New England, they go straight to the Super Bowl. 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?”

Like Vrabel had with the Titans, New England benefitted from a strong defense. Unlike in Tennessee, the Patriots had an MVP-caliber quarterback in Drake Maye to lead the offense.

After firing Vrabel, the Titans have gone 3-14 in each of their last two seasons. Tennessee will hope new head coach Robert Saleh can turn things around.

This offseason, there have been questions about Vrabel’s ability to lead the team, especially keeping strong relationships in the locker room, amid issues off the field. Simmons argued that Vrabel is good at building relationships with his players.

“One of the things when you build that relationship off the football field and I … think that’s the biggest thing with Vrabel, man,” Simmons said. “And I can feel this, it’s the same with Saleh.

“When you can build a relationship with your players off the football field and not just when you touch that football field, they going to play as hard as they can for you. That’s what Vrabel brings, bro.”

That’s certainly what Vrabel hopes to bring this summer when training camp starts after a tumultuous spring.

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This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 10:47 PM.