When news broke that the Atlanta Falcons should hire Dean Pees as a defensive coordinator, joining coach Arthur Smith’s team, we asked the following question: why did the Tennessee Titans, a team in search of a defensive coordinator, not try to bring it back?
Well, according to Broadway Sports John Glennon, apparently it happened. Glennon is reporting that the Titans ‘head coach, Mike Vrabel, did in fact contact Pees about a possible return to his former job as the Titans’ defensive coordinator.
However, it seems that Pees, who retired after the 2019 campaign and two seasons with Vrabel, opted to work with the Falcons.
Why Pees decided to go to Atlanta instead of Tennessee is unclear. Glennon speculates that perhaps the veteran defensive coordinator wanted a new start elsewhere.
Before that news came out, Vrabel and the Titans were heading for a situation in which they would have been criticized for letting Pees go to Atlanta when they themselves were looking for a defensive coordinator.
But now it seems that Pees made the decision to join Smith in Atlanta, even with the opportunity to regain his former job in Nashville.