Dianna Russini reporting scrutiny widened Thursday after new photos showed her kissing Mike Vrabel at a bar in March 2020, putting fresh attention on her 2021 report about Julio Jones. Mike Florio said that report could have helped the Tennessee Titans secure a trade for the wide receiver.
March 2020 Bar Photos
Page Six published the photos on Thursday, April 23, the first day of the 2026 NFL Draft. The images show Russini and Vrabel kissing at a bar in March 2020, after she was spotted with him on March 11, 2020, at a bar in lower Manhattan.
Four days after that meeting, Russini posted that the Titans were not interested in Tom Brady and were working hard to get a deal done with Ryan Tannehill. Tennessee then signed Tannehill to a four-year, $118 million contract days after that report. Brady later signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent.
Julio Jones Trade Report
Florio said the 2021 report could have had a “chilling effect” on teams interested in Jones but unwilling to part with a first-round pick. In that report, Russini said the Falcons had discussed several offers for Jones, including one involving a future first-round draft pick, and she characterized the Titans’ chances of landing him as a long shot.
Jones and a sixth-round pick were later traded to the Titans for a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick. Florio also suggested that calling Tennessee a long shot may have allowed the team to “maneuver quietly.”
and Russini
declined comment when asked whether it would begin reviewing Russini’s past reporting. Russini left for The Athletic in 2023 and announced her resignation from The Athletic on April 14.
Russini and Vrabel both said the Arizona resort photos were taken out of context and denied wrongdoing. The new photos have pushed her 2021 Julio Jones report back into view, with the trade itself now being read alongside the report that preceded it.
