Over five seasons with Mike Vrabel as his head coach on the Tennessee Titans, Jeffery Simmons became a Pro Bowl defensive lineman who was part of three playoff teams, two AFC South-winning squads and one run to an AFC Championship Game.
In 2025, though, Simmons was part of a second straight three-win campaign for the Titans, watching afar as his former head coach guided the New England Patriots from last place to a Super Bowl berth.
How did that sit with Simmons? Well, he was admittedly astonished – and very envious.
“Was I surprised?” Simmons replied on a recent episode of Terron Armstead’s “The Set” podcast. “Um, man, I think we all would be surprised if this guy, first year in New England, they go straight to the Super Bowl. First off, I’m jealous as hell. Like what? … I was just with you four years, and you couldn’t get me to the Super Bowl?”
What the Patriots did in one season under Vrabel was certainly stunning, as the former New England Super Bowl-winning linebacker returned to the Patriots and the sidelines after his 2024 exit from Tennessee with extraordinary results.
Since Vrabel and the Titans parted ways, Tennessee has had back-to-back losing campaigns (three straight, including Vrabel’s final season with the team) with a combined six victories. The 2025 Patriots earned their sixth win of the season in Week 8 en route to winning their first AFC title since 2019 on the way to the club’s first Super Bowl berth since the 2018 campaign.
Jealous as Simmons might be, the four-time Pro Bowler was quick to pile the praise on Vrabel, his admiration for his former coach still very much apparent.
“One of the things when you build that relationship off the football field and I … think that’s the biggest thing with Vrabel, man,” the 2025 All-Pro said. “And I can feel this, it’s the same with [new Titans coach Robert] Saleh. When you can build a relationship with your players off the football field and not just when you touch that football field, they going to play as hard as they can for you. That’s what Vrabel brings, bro. He just brings that type of energy and that type of, I know I’m not your dad but I’m going to do everything possible to make you feel safe with me. I’ma do everything I can do, cause on game day I’m going to need you.”
Saleh has taken the reins of a Titans team that struggled woefully in a 3-14 2025 season in which the defense was 28th in scoring and the offense was 30th. As it turns out, the 2026 Titans share some eyebrow-raising similarities with the 2025 Patriots.
Vrabel took over a New England squad that had consecutive 4-13 seasons.
Saleh is taking over a Tennessee team that has had two straight 3-14 years.
Vrabel returned to the sidelines after a one-year hiatus as head coach to succeed a fired first-time head coach in Jerod Mayo.
Saleh is returning to the head coaching ranks after a one-year hiatus to succeed fired rookie head coach Brian Callahan.
In 2024, the Patriots offense was 30th in scoring and 31st in yards.
In 2025, the Titans offense was 30th in scoring and 31st in yards.
Those teams saw heralded rookie quarterbacks start the majority of the games: Drake Maye (No. 3 overall in 2024 draft) for New England; Cam Ward (No. 1 overall in 2025) for Tennessee.
Could Ward author a stellar sophomore season akin to Maye, who was the AP NFL Most Valuable Player runner-up?
Simmons is a firm believer that the Miami product has the goods.
“I still feel like I got a lot more growth to do in my game. I’m going on Year 8, but … the expectation, which we know come with being the No. 1 pick,” Simmons said. “I personally see … the work continuously from Cam from every day being the first one at the building. That’s, that’s no lie. He’s the first one at the building.
“You could feel and you could tell the will that he really wants to be the best he could be for us. And not just for us, but for himself, as well.”
Not many predicted the Patriots’ return to the NFL hierarchy last season. Similarly, the Titans aren’t an overwhelming pick for a win-loss resurrection. Ward has plenty of doubters, too, after a mercurial rookie season.
“He can feel and he can see the doubt um, that everyone keeps doubting him,” Simmons said. “I mean you got some guys call him a bust like, you know, that’s fire [that fuels him].”
That fuel could be the catalyst for a comeback season for Ward and the Titans.
“Year 2 Cam Ward going to be what everyone don’t really expect, but it’s going to be something one of them things that Cam, we knew that was you all along,” Simmons said.
2026 is going swimmingly already for Simmons, who recently agreed to terms on a monstrous extension. With an ascension from Ward and the addition of Saleh, perhaps Simmons’ Titans have a season ahead that will have others jealous of their exploits.
