The Tennessee Titans made three trades before the deadline, but none of them were with the New England Patriots. Many thought it was because of the lingering bad blood between Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel and Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk. But was that really the case? Vrabel has a firm stance on that narrative.

“I haven’t talked to Amy since the day she fired me,” Vrabel clarified on The Greg Hill Show. “So her name and my name should not be in the same sentence together, because I haven’t talked to her since the day she fired me.” While Vrabel didn’t confirm why the Titans didn’t trade with the Pats, his message is clear.

There’s no love lost between him and the $2 billion worth Amy Adams Strunk. With the Patriots’ successful season so far (an 8-2 record), they didn’t really need to add more names to their roster. But even if they had, the Titans wouldn’t have picked up the call. And judging by Vrabel’s comments, he wouldn’t have called them even if their records were switched. But where did this narrative come from?

Conflicting reports had emerged about the lack of goodwill between the Pats and the Titans. Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal noted that the Titans’ owner wasn’t going to make a trade with the coach she once decided to put on the chopping block.

“I was told there has been some conversation league-wide that Tennessee might be unwilling to make deals with New England,” Giardi reported. “The owner, Amy Adams Strunk, continues to think too much about how things ended with Vrabel and is not inclined to help his new team.”

But Titans’ insider Paul Kuharsky offered a different take.

“The Titans DID NOT pass on any attractive offers from the Patriots in favor of something else,” Kuharsky reported. “AAS [Amy Adams Strunk] deserves to be blasted for plenty. We don’t need to add stuff that did not unfold.”

Vrabel is excelling with his new team. The Titans, meanwhile, came into the season with rebuilding plans. And the way this rivalry began, it wouldn’t come as a surprise even if a personal vendetta was the reason that kept the Titans from calling.

Mike Vrabel & Amy Adams Strunk: reasons behind the rift

This snub reflects a larger chapter for Tennessee. The team had fired Vrabel despite past successes: three playoff runs, an AFC South title, and a top AFC seed. The last two seasons (‘22 and ’23) were rough, fueling questions about stagnation and leadership. That’s the reason Strunk gave for cutting Vrabel as a head coach in 2023, anyway.

“I believe the Tennessee Titans can and will be a premier National Football League franchise,” Strunk had noted in her statement. “It’s what our fans deserve, and there will be hard decisions along the way. My decision today is not only a reflection of my disappointment in our past two seasons but also my recognition that further changes are necessary to fully achieve our vision.”

Strunk’s comments revealed a deeper issue. She noted a shift towards a more aligned and collaborative leadership style across the operations. That’s a code for shedding Vrabel and reshuffling management. Reports at the time also hinted at rifts between Vrabel and general manager Ran Carthon.

Carthon, meanwhile, denied any personal feud, insisting he and Vrabel worked together on every decision in 2023. But the team’s struggles and clear disconnect with ownership sealed Vrabel’s fate. All of which ultimately led to Vrabel’s firing after spending 6 years at the Titans’ helm.

But Strunk’s vision has remained unfulfilled. As Vrabel joined the Cleveland Browns in a consulting capacity, the Titans brought in Brian Callahan as head coach. Callahan led the team to a disastrous 3-14 record in 2024. When the script didn’t change this season either, the Titans decided to once again part with their head coach, firing Callahan in October.

Senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy now has the reins as the interim head coach. The Titans are still left hoping something clicks and sparks. But for Mike Vrabel, all of that is left in the past. His success with the Patriots is a stark reminder now of what Tennessee walked away from.