Unfortunately, the head coach of the Tennessee Titans officially decided to terminate his contract due to…
A league source confirmed to USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee on Sunday that Titans coach Mike Mularkey is currently negotiating the terms of a contract extension and has been assured he will return for the 2018 season.
The announcement was made just hours after Mularkey praised play calling by offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie, expressed satisfaction with quarterback Marcus Mariota’s growth, and stated he did not plan to make any changes to his coaching staff before the 2018 season.
At Saint Thomas Sports Park on Sunday afternoon, Mularkey stated, “I think Terry did a very good job, a very good job.” The Titans had been destroyed 35-14 by the Patriots on Saturday night in an AFC divisional playoff game played in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Being the playcaller is a difficult job. I felt he performed a great job.
Amy Adams Strunk, the team’s controlling owner, declared in a written statement last week that Mularkey would be the head coach “moving forward.” Mularkey said he has spoken with Strunk.
However, the coach would not talk about his contract or whether he would pursue an extension. He was about to enter the last season of a three-year agreement. His record as the Titans’ coach is 21–22.
Mularkey added that he had not discussed Dick LeBeau, the defensive coordinator,’s desire to play in the NFL for a record 60 seasons in a row with the 80-year-old.
For the second year in a row, the Titans finished with a 9-7 regular season record, made it to the playoffs for the first time in nine years, and won a postseason game for the first time in fourteen.
But both inside and outside the team’s headquarters, the season mainly failed to live up to expectations.
The Titans’ three-game losing streak in the latter part of the season cost them a chance to win the AFC South. Mariota’s performance declined in multiple key offensive metrics, with a higher number of interceptions than touchdowns. Additionally, running back DeMarco Murray had the worst season of his career in 2016. Murray led the AFC in rushing yards.
The Titans were ranked 15th in rushing yards, 19th in points scored, 23rd in passing yards, and 23rd overall in offensive rating. Compared to Mularkey’s first full season as head coach, that represented a notable decline.
The Titans finished 2016 ranked third in rushing yards, 14th in points scored, 25th in passing offense, and 11th overall.
“We have a lot of room for improvement as a team,” Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan stated. “I believe we demonstrated that quite a bit this year. offensive play that is inconsistent. Although our defense wasn’t perfect all the time, it generally carried the team. We had, I believe, pretty good special teams the entire year. I will be the first to admit that we did not perform up to par this year, though. And that’s really encouraging that it’s made it this far. However, that will not be possible in the 2018 season. We must charge into the situation. We can accomplish it with our firepower. It simply needs to be completed.
Prior to the Titans’ 22-21 victory over the Chiefs in a wild-card playoff game on January 7 in Kansas City, there were rumors that Mularkey’s job was in danger. It was the second-largest comeback by a road team in NFL playoff history, as they overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit.
On Sunday, Mularkey expressed doubts about the veracity of Strunk’s apparent support statement and asked if his assistant coaches had since discussed his employment status with Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
