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SAN FRANCISCO – The Tennessee Titans were a perennial playoff contender with Mike Vrabel on the sidelines, but they wanted more. So they fired him after the 2023 season.
The move proved costly considering the Titans haven’t been close to the playoffs since and Vrabel is now in the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots.
Perhaps this is the fate of Vrabel and the Pats. Vrabel was an All-Pro linebacker in New England. But for Titans fans, it’s obviously fair to ask, “What if?” »
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel celebrates after the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on January 25, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
That’s what former Titans Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker thinks.
“We blame ourselves. The whole state of Tennessee blames itself for seeing what Mike Vrabel did in being able to play in a Super Bowl,” Walker said in a recent interview with PK Press Club Digital. “He did it here, so we knew what kind of caliber coach he was.”
Walker’s final two seasons in the NFL were Vrabel’s first as a head coach. Vrabel was Walker’s fourth coach when he was at Tennessee, but something about him was different from Mike Mularkey, Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Munchak.
“It’s a big thing, honestly. A lot of coaches have that problem, and you have to be honest with the players. Some coaches will tell you one thing and do another. They lie to your face and go upstairs and say, ‘Can we cut it?’ Mike Vrabel doesn’t lie. He’s played, so he understands,” Walker said.
“All the coaches that played this game, look how successful they are in the NFL? They understand it, they knew how they felt when they played, so they don’t want to treat a player like that. That’s how Vrabel was. Vrabel was honest. He never lied to us. He just told us what it was to our faces. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to swallow, but most players like honesty, so we’re going to go out and sell for you because we know you support us.
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel pats tight end Delanie Walker on the head during the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 29, 2019, in Atlanta. (George Walker IV/Tennessean.com, Nashville Tennessean via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
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During Super Bowl week, Walker’s former teammate Taylor Lewan echoed similar sentiments on the radio.
“He’s in the Super Bowl. Yes, the Titans made a big mistake letting Mike Vrabel go a few years ago,” Lewan said. “You see the reflection of their record when Mike Vrabel wasn’t there compared to when he was there. And I’m sure there are a lot of Titans fans who wish he was still on the team.”
Walker even joked that Vrabel’s time in Tennessee was “the way of the Southern patriots.”
“That’s literally what it was. He literally brought the Patriot Way. We all used to say that,” Walker said with a laugh. “I can’t talk to the media without talking to the coach, I can’t disclose injuries. I have no problem with that. Sometimes you need that structure to hold guys accountable, and that’s why we were successful when he came in.”
Lewan also mentioned the culture Vrabel brought, calling Vrabel a “lovable asshole.”
“I thought he was an asshole in 2018. A lovable asshole, but he’s an asshole. He was definitely very, very difficult on us his first year in 2018. And then as his culture was implemented, and he felt the leadership of the team take over, his culture, that’s what he led you to have a little more reign.
“So, yeah, I think as far as preparation, getting guys to understand the game, game management, all those things, you probably won’t find another team in the NFL that’s better prepared in those little details.”
Although Vrabel has had success in New England, Walker has high hopes for the new-look Titans with Cam Ward, new head coach Robert Saleh and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
“I think the Titans are getting back to where they were. It’s the NFL. You have your ups and downs. Hopefully we bring in the right people to make our team good again. And, at the end of the day, you have some really young talent that has come through,” he said.
“That’s something you want to feed off into next year and help these guys bring that energy to become the other rookies.”
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward throws during the second half of a football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Oct. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
“Cam’s a beast, man,” Walker added. “Some of the plays he made this year were unbelievable. To go out there and fight even though we were in a slump, the team wasn’t doing well. I knew he wouldn’t get the credit he deserved because Tennessee is a small market. We were already losing when he got there. It just doesn’t work.
“We had this spotlight on him for the first few games, and then when they started losing, no one wanted to watch the Titans anymore. And that’s it. You’ve never seen a first overall pick not get as much attention, and that was just because he was on the Titans.”
