Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is already taking a different approach to the 2023 offseason than he did this time last year.

Vrabel was asked by Titans media on Monday morning about the future of Ryan Tannehill as Tennessee's starting quarterback, and Vrabel's response was a polar opposite from what he had said to the media about wide receiver A.J. Brown last offseason.

"We're in March. We're continuing to build the best football team we can," Vrabel said on Monday. "To make predictions…I'm not going to commit to anybody being on our roster in September. I've just seen it change too quickly. But of course we want Ryan [Tannehill] as our quarterback and anybody else that has helped us win."

The NFL offseason is much larger than the first two weeks of free agency, Vrabel has learned that first-hand. While things are currently lined up for Tannehill to be Tennessee's starting quarterback, a lot can change in the four months before training camp opens.

Tennessee could find themselves with an unexpected opportunity to grab a quarterback in the draft or make a play for Lamar Jackson, who publicly requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens on Monday morning. 

A team like the Titans, who are at a crossroads as a franchise, need to keep their options open for as long as possible. 

Last offseason, Vrabel "firmly put to bed the A.J. Brown trade rumors" on The Rich Eisen Show just a month before the star wide out was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles on draft night.

“I love A.J. professionally, personally. I’ve gotten to know him well as his coach and enjoy seeing him as much as I possibly can. Saw him here working out here earlier, said hi. As long as I’m the head coach here, I would want to have A.J. Brown on my football team.”

Obviously, those remarks were not a great look for Tennessee when Brown was later traded to Philadelphia. Brown, who felt like he was sold a bill of goods by the Titans, referenced those comments from Vrabel as a reason he felt so betrayed by the organization after the trade.

"I'm having strong feelings about Tennessee because that ain't what I was told. You all in the media saying you ain't gonna trade me. You talking to me behind closed doors and all this other stuff like "you not going nowhere" from Mike [Vrabel] and Jon Robinson. The whole process they were offering me like 16 (million), like…don't disrespect me," said Brown on The Raw Room Podcast last month.

So now, Vrabel is learning from his errors and taking a different approach. Does it currently look like Tannehill will be the Titans' starting quarterback Week 1? Yes, but Tennessee is not going to fully commit to a QB for quite some time. Vrabel and Carthon are always looking to field the best football team possible, and if an opportunity presents itself to significantly upgrade at quarterback, that remains a legitimate possibility.

Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK