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Instead of adding pieces for a potential deep playoff run, the New England Patriots actually moved a couple of players before the NFL trade deadline, jettisoning safety Kyle Dugger and defensive end Keion White. That doesn’t mean that the Patriots didn’t attempt to buy, though, especially considering that New England is 8-2 and seems like a lock to make the playoffs at this point. Read more: Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Trade Proposal Lands Former Pro Bowl QB Why wouldn’t New England try to acquire anyone, right? At the same time, though, teams actually need to be willing to sell in order for that to happen, and with the Tennessee Titans being 1-8, the general expectation was that they would be open for business. However, Mike Giardi of The Boston Journal reported that Titans owner Amy Adams Shrunk refused to deal with the Patriots because she did not want to help former Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel. FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 2: head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots looks on prior to an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Vrabel opened up about the possibility of such a freeze out on Monday, and he didn’t seem too happy discussing it. “I haven’t talked to Amy since the day she fired me,” Vrabel said on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show. “So, her name and my name should not be in the same sentence together because I haven’t talked to her since the day she fired me.” Vrabel spent six seasons with the Titans between 2018 and 2023 and went 54-45 in Music City, leading Tennessee to three playoff appearances and a couple of AFC South division titles. He guided the Titans to an AFC Championship Game appearance during his second season with the club and posted four straight winning campaigns to begin his tenure with the franchise. Things did not exactly end amicably, though, as Vrabel went 13-21 over his last couple of years in Tennessee, resulting in his dismissal. He didn’t coach in the NFL at all in 2024 before landing with the Patriots for the 2025 season. Read more: Eagles Linked to Another Pro Bowl Defender to Boost Repeat Chances So did Shrunk actually prevent the Titans from swinging any trade deadline moves with the Pats? We’ll probably never know, but it wouldn’t be entirely surprising. The Patriots will host the New York Jets this Thursday. For more on the New England Patriots and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
