Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel told media Wednesday in certain terms that he wants to remain coach of the Titans, cooling rumors that have been swirling for months about Vrabel's unhappiness with the organization, rift with general manager Ran Carthon and connection to a potential coaching vacancy with the New England Patriots.

Vrabel has led the Titans to four winning seasons, three playoff berths and two division titles in his first four seasons, but his Titans have struggled over the past two years. The Titans finished 7-10 last season, ending on a seven-game losing streak to miss the playoffs, and has followed that up with a 5-11 run through the 2023 season. The Titans conclude the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (noon, CBS).

With so many rumors about Vrabel and the Titans, here's a quick explanation of what the rumors are, what Vrabel has said about them, and what they could mean for the Titans and the franchise.

Mike Vrabel rumors explained

From 2018-22, Vrabel served as Titans coach alongside general manager Jon Robinson. Robinson was fired in December 2022 and replaced a month later by Carthon, who — from the day he was hired — pledged it was his job to collaborate with Vrabel and build a championship roster that serviced Vrabel's vision.

In late November, Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal reported via anonymous league sources that Vrabel and Carthon have a fractured relationship and that Vrabel could be looking for a way out of Tennessee.

In October, during the Titans' bye week, Vrabel visited New England to be inducted into the Patriots' Hall of Fame as a player. Vrabel won three Super Bowls and made one All-Pro team in eight years as a linebacker with the Patriots. He spent the afternoon of that game sitting in a stadium box with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, stoking suspicions about the pair's connection as the Patriots have tough decisions to make about the future of coach Bill Belichick, who will be 72 when the 2024 season begins and is missing the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time in his 24 seasons in New England.

What Mike Vrabel said about Ran Carthon relationship

Vrabel was asked about the rumors regarding his relationship with Carthon on Wednesday. He didn't directly acknowledge the purported fractured nature of their partnership, comparing social media talking points to Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

He did, however, give Carthon and the front office staff a vote of confidence in the form of promised continued collaboration.

"I know where we’re at as an organization," Vrabel said. "I’m excited to build this thing and to fix this thing and get it to where we want it to be to win championships with Ran and (assistant GMs Chad Brinker and Anthony Robinson) and a coaching staff and everybody. That’s what our goal is."

Is Mike Vrabel going to coach the New England Patriots?

Belichick hasn't stepped down, and the Patriots have neither traded nor fired Belichick. One of those things would have to happen before the Patriots could begin properly courting Vrabel. Anything is possible, especially given the Patriots' 4-12 record and AFC-worst point differential of minus-116.

Vrabel is under contract with the Titans beyond 2024, so any move to New England would either have to be preceded by a firing or as part of a trade. When asked directly Wednesday whether he wants to remain in Tennessee, Vrabel gave as non-ambiguous of an answer as possible.

"Of course I want to be here," Vrabel said. "I want to be here as long as we can win and as long as we can do this thing. It’s been great."

Can the Tennessee Titans trade Mike Vrabel?

Yes, NFL coaches can be traded. The market price for coaches varies. The Denver Broncos gave a first- and a third-round draft pick to acquire Sean Payton last offseason while, in 2019, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave up only a sixth-round pick to add Bruce Arians. Other prominent coaches who've been traded include Don Shula, Bill Parcells, Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren and Belichick.

Mike Vrabel record

The Titans have a 53-45 record in six seasons under Vrabel. He has led the Titans to a 2-3 record in the postseason, though the Titans haven't won a playoff game since January 2020.

Vrabel was named the NFL's Coach of the Year for 2021 after leading the Titans to a 12-5 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC despite setting the NFL record for most players fielded by one team in a season. Vrabel also led the Titans to an AFC South title in 2020.

Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots schedule and draft odds

The Titans finish the season against the Jaguars on Sunday. The Patriots face the New York Jets on Sunday. Heading into Week 18, the Patriots are in position to earn the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the Titans would have the No. 7 pick if the season ended today.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mike Vrabel and New England Patriots? What Titans coach said about rumors