The Tennessee Titans have parted ways with head coach Mike Mularkey just two days after the team was eliminated from the AFC Playoffs with a 35-14 loss to the Patriots in New England.
Mularkey, who had one season left on his contract, was offered an extension, but the two sides failed to come together on what was the proper course to allow the team to take the next step. Sources tell Newschannel 5 that general manager Jon Robinson wanted significant change to the team’s offensive system including a new offensive coordinator, but Mularkey did not want to make changes.
The coach praised often criticized offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie in his season ending press conference on Sunday.
Robinson held a press conference Monday afternoon and said while he saw progress with the team this season, he felt it needed a new direction.
“After numerous conversations with [Amy Adams Strunk] we have decided to part ways with Mike Mularkey. We remain committed to our fans and brining a championship to our city and state,” Robinson said.
As far as the coaching search goes, he’ll lead the charge but Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk ultimately has the final say on the hire.
Amy Adams Strunk released this statement on the decision:
“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 went 19-15 in two seasons as the Titans coach, one more win than the franchise had in the previous four seasons combined. He also led them to their first playoff appearance since 2008 and first postseason victory since 2003.
The decision to move on from Mularkey means the Titans will now hire their fifth different head coach over a nine year span.
