After signficant speculation regarding his future, Mike Vrabel‘s time in Tennessee has come to an end. The Titans fired the veteran head coach on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team has since confirmed the move.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network terms the news a parting of ways, but in any event the Titans will have a substantial vacancy to fill on the sidelines. Notably, today’s separation has not come about via trade, something many suggested would take place if the decision was made on Tennessee’s part to move on. Now, Vrabel will be free to join a new team without compensation coming the Titans’ way.
Tension was believed to exist between between Vrabel and general manager Ran Carthon, which led to questions being raised about the possibility a move on the sidelines could be made. The former downplayed that factor, and stated a public intention of remaining in Nashville for the foreseeable future. After a meeting with the franchise’s top decision-makers, however, Vrabel is now unemployed. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports the Titans felt working out a trade would be too lengthy and complex to follow through with it. She adds Vrabel made no request to be traded or step away from his Titans post.
Tennessee posted a winning record in each of Vrabel’s first four seasons, including three playoff appearances and a trip to the AFC title game. He earned Coach of the Year honors following the 2021 campaign, but things have taken a turn for the worse since then. A seven-game losing streak to close out the 2022 season left the team with a 7-10 record after a division title seemed to be in the cards. After an offseason which included Carthon’s hiring and the decision to move on from a number of high-priced veterans, this year was viewed as a rebuilding effort to an extent.
The Titans went 6-11 in 2023, finishing in the basement of the AFC South. Like their divisional rivals, though, the team may have a young passer to build around in the form of Will Levis. The Ryan Tannehill successor showed flashes as a rookie, though signficant improvement will be needed on offense under center and along the O-line in particular for a turnaround to be possible moving forward. A new coach will be guiding the team starting in 2024.
No power struggle took place in Tennessee, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sport reports. Still, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk has elected to move on from a longtime employee for the second straight year (having dismissed…