The Titans have parted ways with head coach Mike Mularkey after the two parties couldn’t come to an agreement over the future.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans have parted ways with head coach Mike Mularkey after the two parties couldn’t come to an agreement over the future.
A press conference is expected at 1 pm CT at Saint Thomas Sports Park with Titans general manager Jon Robinson. - [ WATCH LIVE ]
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk released a statement on Monday morning:
“I want to thank Mike Mularkey for his contributions to our franchise over his tenure with our organization. He took over our team during a low moment and together with Jon built a solid foundation for our franchise. I appreciated that Mike devoted himself to this team and the community.
In fact, we did discuss extending his future with our team over the past week, but in those discussions about the direction of the team, it became evident that we saw different paths to achieve greater success.
It is certainly unfortunate that we couldn’t find enough common ground. I generally believe that continuity is the best path for success, but I also view this as an important moment for our football team as we try to make that next step to sustained success on the field. Jon will begin the search immediately to identify that person.”
Mularkey was named head coach of the Titans on January 16, 2016. He served as interim coach for the final five games of the 2015 season.
The Titans went 9-7 in back-to-back seasons, and made it to the playoffs in 2017. The Titans lost in the AFC divisional playoffs on Saturday to the Patriots.
Questions about the development of quarterback Marcus Mariota and the team’s inconsistent offense were persistent throughout the course of the season, however.
The Titans finished second in the AFC South in 2017, behind the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
Mike Mularkey's three-year tenure as head coach of the Tennessee Titans has come to an end after he was fired Monday.
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement:
"I want to thank Mike Mularkey for his contributions to our franchise over his tenure with our organization," "He took over our team during a low moment and together with [general manager] Jon [Robinson] built a solid foundation for our franchise. I appreciated that Mike devoted himself to this team and the community.
"In fact, we did discuss extending his future with our team over the past week, but in those discussions about the direction of the team, it became evident that we saw different paths to achieve greater success."
The move comes after the Titans' season ended in a 35-14 loss to the New England Patriots in the playoffs.
After joining the organization as a tight ends coach in 2014, Mularkey was named the Titans' interim head coach midway through the 2015 season when Ken Whisenhunt was fired following a 1-6 start.
The Titans took the interim label off Mularkey in January 2016, as Strunk said at the time he was the right person to lead the franchise back to prominence in the AFC. The Titans won the conference in 1999 and the AFC South in 2002 and 2008 while also making the playoffs in 2003 and 2007.
"Mike is a quality coach and an outstanding person who will help us build this team the right way," she told reporters. "He has experience as a head coach and a track record for developing young quarterbacks and dynamic offenses, and he also brings continuity for our franchise quarterback."
Strunk also said the turnaround "may take time" because of the state of Tennessee's roster after a 3-13 performance in 2015. Things turned quickly as the Titans went 9-7 in 2016, their first winning season in five years.
With expectations raised after that winning season, the Titans' 9-7 record in 2017 was a disappointment, even though they managed to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.
The first order of business for the next head coach will be fixing quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Mularkey's squad lost handily to the Patriots, but he did help set a solid foundation that his successor can build on in 2018.
As for Mularkey's future, Rapoport noted the Cleveland Browns could be a "landing spot" as the team's offensive coordinator.
Given Mularkey's extensive NFL coaching resume, which goes back to 1994, he should be able to land on his feet as soon as he wants to get back into it.
The Tennessee Titans are breaking up with Mike Mularkey.
The team and coach parted ways on Monday after failing to come to an agreement about their future together, the Titans announced on their website.
"I want to thank Mike Mularkey for his contributions to our franchise over his tenure with our organization," Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk wrote in a statement. "He took over our team during a low moment and together with [general manager] Jon [Robinson] built a solid foundation for our franchise."
Strunk stated that "we did discuss extending [Mularkey's] future with our team over the past week, but in those discussions about the direction of the team, it became evident that we saw different paths to achieve greater success."
It's fair to wonder if those "different paths" were rooted in the future of an offense that flatlined for much of this season before finally coming to life in Tennessee's wild-card win over the Chiefs.
While Mularkey's "Exotic Smashmouth" offered moments of great potential in 2016, the attack devolved into an identity-free mess this past autumn and gave the team no shot to compete in Saturday night's divisional-round thrashing by the Patriots.
"I generally believe that continuity is the best path for success, but I also view this as an important moment for our football team as we try to make that next step to sustained success on the field," Strunk said. "Jon will begin the search immediately to identify that person."
Chalk it up as the final note in a confusing, see-sawing song and dance between Mularkey and the Titans, with the relationship ending hours after reports suggesting the coach was about to receive an extension -- and just one week after the franchise strongly backed Mularkey following the win over Kansas City.
Mularkey filed back-to-back 9-7 campaigns, but the hyper-ugly Patriots loss did nothing to help his case.
Robinson might secretly wish this parting happened sooner. The former protégé of Bill Belichick holds ties to Josh McDaniels, the Patriots offensive coordinator who is viewed as a "clear favorite" to take the Colts job, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport noted Monday, though, that McDaniels is believed to "prefer the Titans over all coaching jobs," adding that the "health of [Colts quarterback] Andrew Luck was an issue, as was the high ceiling with [Titans passer] Marcus Mariota.
Whether or not McDaniels leads the wish list, look for Robinson to heat-seek an offensive-minded coach who can develop this young roster and unleash Tennessee's full potential. Whoever they choose, the Titans aren't wasting time on conducting a search -- they've already reached out to the Texans to request an interview with defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, per Rapoport.
Mike Mularkey and the Tennessee Titans have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced.
"I want to thank Mike Mularkey for his contributions to our franchise over his tenure with our organization," owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. "He took over our team during a low moment and together with Jon built a solid foundation for our franchise. I appreciated that Mike devoted himself to this team and the community. In fact, we did discuss extending his future with our team over the past week, but in those discussions about the direction of the team, it became evident that we saw different paths to achieve greater success. It is certainly unfortunate that we couldn’t find enough common ground. I generally believe that continuity is the best path for success, but I also view this as an important moment for our football team as we try to make that next step to sustained success on the field. Jon will begin the search immediately to identify that person.”
The news was first reported by ESPN's Field Yates.
The news comes less than 24 hours after it was reported that the team was negotiating the terms of a contract extension for the head coach. Mularkey held a press conference on Sunday in which he said he did not anticipate any staff changes for next year, which would have been the final season of a three-year deal.
Mularkey is 21–22 in his three seasons as the Titans' head coach. The Titans are coming off back-to-back years in which they finished with a 9–7 regular season record. Tennessee clinched its first playoff berth for the first time in nine years. The Titans' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card Game was their first postseason victory in 14 years.
The Titans' season came to an end on Sunday with a 35–15 loss to the New England Patriots in the divisional round.
The Titans may be considering Josh McDaniels as a possible replacement for Mularkey.
