Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel Tests Positive for COVID-19

Mike Vrabel announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, a day after the Titans' 34-3 win over the Buccaneers in their second preseason game.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel announced he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Vrabel announced the news via a Zoom call with reporters on Sunday following the Titans' 34-3 win over the Buccaneers in their second preseason game. Vrabel, 46, said he was tested on Sunday morning after experiencing a sore throat and an earache. 

Vrabel, a three-time Super Bowl champion as a player with the Patriots, is entering his fourth season as Titans head coach. He has led the Titans to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, including a trip to the AFC championship game against the eventual Super Bowl-winning Chiefs in 2020. 

While he quarantines away from the team, Vrabel said he will rely on assistant coaches Jim Haslett and Jim Schwartz, who both have past experience as NFL head coaches, along with special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman. The Titans open their season on Sept. 12 against the Cardinals.

Vrabel said that he will receive another COVID-19 test on Monday and needs two negative tests to avoid a 10-day quarantine. Last season, the NFL fined the Titans $350,000 and postponed two games due to an outbreak. 

The Titans spent two days practicing with the Buccaneers before Saturday's preseason game. Even without Julio Jones, A.J. Brown and Derrick Henry, the Titans rolled past the defending Super Bowl champions led by backup quarterback Matt Barkley's two touchdowns.

Just hours before the game, the Titans announced that former team executive Floyd Reese, the winningest general manager in franchise history and architect of its 1999 AFC championship team, had died at the age of 73.