After the Tennessee Titans' comeback victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in last week's wild-card playoff game, the Titans organization came out to squash rumors that they were about to oust head coach Mike Mularkey.
But this weekend the New England Patriots excused the Titans from the postseason, and now Mularkey — who coached the team to its first playoff appearance since 2008 — has been relieved of his duties.
The team confirmed the news this morning, after it was reported by ESPN. It's a surprising development after reports that the organization was working toward a contract extension with Mularkey even after this weekend's loss. Mularkey's tenure ends after just two full seasons — he was named head coach in January 2016 after serving as interim head coach for the final five games of the 2015 season.
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.”
More details about what exactly went down here will undoubtedly trickle out. The Titans are widely expected to make a run at hiring Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, particularly because of McDaniels' history with Titans general manager Jon Robinson, who came to Nashville from New England. When the Titans do hire a new head coach, he will be their fourth in less than 10 years.
Robinson is expected to hold a press conference later today.
Update (2:00 p.m.):
Nothing can be made official until the Patriots season ends, but McDaniels is reportedly expected to become the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. The Titans have reportedly asked for permission to interview Houston Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel.
