In a recent episode of his podcast, Colin Cowherd shared an intriguing theory about how Mike Vrabel’s biggest mistake as head coach of the Tennessee Titans is now shaping his bold roster strategy with the New England Patriots.
Colin Cowherd Suggests Mike Vrabel Is Compensating for Costly Mistake With Titans
Cowherd opened his show with speculation that Vrabel overpaid free agent Stefon Diggs with a three-year, $69 million deal and plans to draft Travis Hunter in 2025 — all because of one major misstep in Tennessee.
He pointed to the trade of star wideout A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles as the moment that haunted Vrabel.
“Vrabel knows what cost him his job in Tennessee. He lost A.J. Brown,” Cowherd said on the March 25 “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.”
Cowherd added, “However you lose your job at a previous employer, that will be your first solve at your next job. And [Vrabel’s] take is, ‘I can figure out the line play, the culture, the intelligence. I can’t have a team that can’t throw the ball down the field.’ So, they’re gonna draft Travis Hunter, and they got Stefon Diggs.”
During Vrabel’s final two seasons with the Titans, the offense took a dive after Brown’s departure. The unit finished 26th or worse in both points scored and total yards.
Signing Diggs raised eyebrows across the league. While the All-Pro brings needed experience to New England’s young wide receiver group, he’s coming off a serious ACL tear and turns 32 during the 2025 season.
The 10-year vet saw a noticeable drop-off with the Houston Texans in 2024, posting his fewest receiving yards per game since 2017 and his lowest catches since 2019. He also failed to break the 100-yard mark in his eight games with Houston.
Meanwhile, the Patriots haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019. Before Kayshon Boutte put up 117 yards in the 2024 finale against the Bills, Kendrick Bourne was the last Patriots wideout to go over 100 in a game — on Christmas Eve in 2022.
Cowherd thinks Vrabel will go after Travis Hunter in the 2025 NFL Draft. The two-way star could boost both sides of the ball, complementing a secondary that already features Second-Team All-Pro Christian Gonzalez.
Even with questions around Diggs’ contract and Hunter’s projected fit, Cowherd sees Vrabel’s plan as part of a more considerable effort to build around second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
The UNC product finished 19th in PFSN’s QB+ metrics for 2024. Analyst Ben Rolfe wrote, “Maye’s offensive line ranks as the worst in the league (in 2024) by OL+, and it’s hard to make a case he had anything better than a bottom-three skill-position group.” The offense should improve on PFSN’s Offense+ metrics grade with Diggs and possibly Hunter.