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Mike Vrabel Says FaceTime With Tom Brady Was Just A Chat With A Friend

BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady and Julian Edelman attending a Syracuse basketball over the weekend caused quite a stir. Comments from the two led to some lip-reading detective work, so of course Edelman and Brady chatting with Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel via FaceTime would cause just as much uproar.

Vrabel said there is a pretty simple explanation for it though. Appearing on Good Morning Football on NFL Network Friday morning, Vrabel said he was simply having a chat with his buddy.

"It would be no different than a conversation you would have with two of your girlfriends on the weekend," Vrabel told host Kimberly Jones on Friday. "My relationship goes back to 2001 with Tom Brady. ... Those friendships aren't going to stop or not continue to grow and develop now that I'm a head coach and he's a quarterback with an expiring contract."

There's no doubt that Brady and Vrabel are "just friends" -- at least for now. But it's his last line that will raise some eyebrows, with Vrabel acknowledging that his buddy will be free to sign with whatever team he wants come March 18 (barring a deal with the Patriots, of course). Add in Friday's report that the Titans like their chances of adding the veteran QB in free agency, and it doesn't take much to realize that Tennessee is serious about adding the six-time Super Bowl champ to their roster.

Vrabel has done a a good job this offseason not to cross over into tampering territory, but it seems like he's inching closer and closer. It won't matter come March 16, when the NFL's legal tampering period begins, but the Titans coach is making it clear that his team would like to add his good friend via free agency -- without actually saying his team would like to add his good friend via free agency.

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