This would certainly move the needle. With edge rusher Harold Landry having been granted permission to seek a trade from the Tennessee Titans, what are the chances his former head coach brings him to his new team? Mike Vrabel is entering his first season leading the New England Patriots. While the Patriots have a long way to go to get back to relevancy, this team is swimming in cap space.
Entering NFL free agency, nobody has more projected cap space than the Patriots at an estimated $125.5 million. Adam London of NESN.com wrote that New England could easily afford the remaining two years on Landry's contract. He will be making $17.5 million for this upcoming season and the next one. Landry flourished while playing for Vrabel after having a rough go of it as a rookie in 2018.
It is a new regime in town in not only Foxborough, but also Nashville. The Titans are now being run by Mike Borgonzi in the front office and Brian Callahan entering his second season on the sidelines. This may be Vrabel's first year leading the Patriots, but this is not Eliot Wolf's first rodeo either. Landry to the Patriots is not a foregone conclusion, but it simply feels right. Does New England feel this way?
ESPN's Adam Schefter was the one to break the news that Landry wants out of Nashville already.
Titans have granted permission to former Pro-Bowl LB Harold Landry to seek a trade, per sources. Landry started all 17 games last season, finishing with 71 tackles, nine sacks, 18 pressures and four pass deflections. The 28-year-old Landry has 31.5 sacks in the last three seasons… pic.twitter.com/xXLOVrZioD
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2025
My only hold-up on this potential deal happening is these teams compete in the same conference.
Mike Vrabel could be the one to bring Harold Landry to New England
Let's be real. With the amount of cap space the Patriots will have available, they are going to be an active participant in free agency in a manner we have probably never seen before. It was not that long ago that Bill Belichick only drafted, signed and traded for players who could help his team win in a well-crafted way. Under a new regime, anything and pretty much everything will be an improvement.
Part of why Vrabel was widely seen as the best head-coaching candidate in this cycle has everything to do with his previous job. Historically, the Titans have always been a strange organization. They have had their moments, but ownership has largely held this team back. Whether it was in Houston or in Nashville, the Oilers/Titans are one of 12 teams without a Super Bowl championship for a reason.
Vrabel was able to elevate the Titans to the top of the AFC, for at least a little while. He may be a great in-game tactician, but his ability to empower his staff and be the alpha male a group of alpha males needs leading them separates him from the pack. Landry is no longer playing for the same Titans team he once did. I get why he wants to leave, but it remains to be seen if that will be in New England.
If Vrabel is able to convince his former team to trade one of his best players to his new one, well done!