Here's a news item that'll be impossible for Tennessee Titans fans to stay neutral on: It's looking more and more like A.J. Brown will be reuniting with Mike Vrabel.
Brown, the star wide receiver who the Titans drafted in 2019 and traded to the Philadelphia Eagles before the 2022 season, has been the subject of rampant trade speculation throughout this offseason, not unlike the speculation that led up to Brown's trade out of Nashville. Now, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's the "likely outcome" that Brown will be traded to the New England Patriots following June 1, landing Brown on the roster of the defending AFC champions to play for Vrabel, the coach who drafted and developed him in Nashville with the Titans.
Trading Brown and firing Vrabel have been two of the most compelling and era-defining symbols of the Titans' freefall since earning the AFC's No. 1 seed in 2021. From 2019-21, Brown emerged as one of the league's best young receivers, amassing 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns. Vrabel, over that same span, coached the Titans to three straight playoff berths and a 32-17 record.
In the four years since the Brown trade, the Titans have only won 19 games with zero playoff appearances. Vrabel was fired following a seven-game losing streak to end 2022 and a 6-11 campaign in 2023. Any and every attempt the Titans have made to replace Brown has ended up backfiring, whether it's been through the draft as with 2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks or via short-term free agent investments like Robert Woods, DeAndre Hopkins or Calvin Ridley.
Brown, meanwhile, has been one of the NFL's most consistent receivers in his four seasons in Philadelphia. Since 2022, the only receivers with more yards and more touchdowns than Brown are Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase and Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown.
And Vrabel, in his first year coaching elsewhere, led the Patriots to a 14-3 record and a Super Bowl berth, winning his second NFL Coach of the Year Award in the process.
Vrabel famously was caught grimacing and shaking his head in the Titans' draft room by NFL Network and ESPN cameras at and around the time that the Titans traded Brown.
That leaves the Titans ... still wondering if they've found replacements for either of the stars they moved off of.
The Titans hired coach Robert Saleh in January, a coach who more closely resembles Vrabel in ideology and culture-building skills than his predecessor, Brian Callahan. And the Titans' gambles at wide receiver continue; Ridley will be back for 2026 on a reduced contract, paired with free agent add Wan'Dale Robinson as well as second-year options Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor. The Titans have also been connected to wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft; general manager Mike Borgonzi said there are several pass catchers worth considering in Round 1, but he considers it a deep receiver class even into Day 3.
The 2026 NFL Draft begins this week, with the first round taking place on April 23 at 7 p.m. CT.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans nightmare time: AJ Brown-Mike Vrabel reunion imminent per report