It sounds like Mike Mularkey will be sticking around Tennessee after all. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Titans have offered their head coach an extension. Mularkey was already under contract for the 2018 season, so we can assume that a new deal would keep him at the helm for several more years.
We heard last weekend that Mularkey was on the heat seat, and there were rumblings that the coach could be fired if the Titans lost in their wild card matchup against the Chiefs. Tennessee pulled off the victory, and subsequent reports indicated that Mularkey would ultimately be retained for 2018.
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk issued a statement at the time regarding the matter:
“Our mantra all season has been to take things week by week and not get ahead of ourselves and it obviously has served us well. I regret that outside rumors gained a life of their own. No one has been a bigger supporter of Mike Mularkey than I have over the last two plus seasons. Mike and [GM] Jon [Robinson] have changed the culture of our team and organization and I am so happy we have been able to bring success on the field to our fans – winning 19 games over the last two seasons, including our first playoff win in nine years. Just to eliminate any distractions moving forward, Mike Mularkey is our head coach and will be our head coach moving forward. We still have work to be done, including this week, but I am looking forward to the journey.”
Following underwhelming stints in Buffalo and Jacksonville, Mularkey replaced Ken Whisenhunt as the Titans head coach midway through the 2015 season. He went 2-7 during the remainder of that campaign, but he’s led his team to 9-7 records over the past two seasons. The Titans beat Kansas City in their first-round matchup, but they fell to the Patriots in the divisional round last night.
If this is true after the press conference he had today then it’s clear ownership and the front office isn’t serious about winning.
It means nothing.
Looks like Amy will be another controlling owner who won’t let the GM do his job. Robinson will leave in a few years for another GM position. I hope I’m wrong because I think he’s the real deal.
Mularky…he’s average, I think he’s a players coach but he needs premier coordinators. 100 year old Dick Lebeau and 100 year old Robiskie aren’t going to cut it. Need some young innovative minds.
Fingers crossed a new OC is incoming. The only hope we have is that bringing in a quality one to work with a coach on the last year of his deal is hard to do, and thus part of the reason for his extension. If new deals are on the table for the whole staff, then I think we all can see what the team’s ceiling will be.
This article didn’t age well.
Didn’t he just get fired?
Yes, but just this morning. This article, and the owner’s quote, were still current as of late Sunday. It sounds like the Titans were conditionally nterested in offering an extension, but either Mularkey wanted more control or Adams Strunk wanted Mularkey to make changes he didn’t want to make.
This is the best news we have ever heard in the history of sports, the NFL and coaches. The man deserves kindness, respect and applause for all he done for this franchise. Let the parade begin so we may rejoice over this important announcement, correcting wrongs and mailing letters with the correct postage. i have never felt this good before and will be buying new season tickets.