Titans split with Mularkey

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans and Mike Mularkey couldn’t agree on how to build off the team’s first playoff berth since 2008 and become a true NFL contender.

That job will now fall to a new coach.

The Titans split with Mularkey on Monday after he revived a team with the NFL’s worst record over two seasons and led them to their first playoff victory in 14 years. The Titans announced the move two days after a 3514 loss to New England in the AFC divisional round.

“It became evident that we saw different paths to achieve greater success,” controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said.

Mularkey had one year left on his contract and refused to discuss his status Sunday.

But he said he had talked with Strunk and was ready to move “full speed” ahead. Mularkey also defended offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie’s play-calling with quarterback Marcus Mariota and said his coaching staff would be back as well.

Strunk said in a statement Monday she talked with Mularkey about extending his contract over the past week since a 22-21 comeback victory against Kansas City in the wild-card round. Mularkey is the first coach let go after winning a playoff game since San Francisco fired Steve Mariucci after the 2002 season.

General Manager Jon Robinson will oversee his first coaching search with the Titans. He was hired two days before Mularkey had the interim title removed in January 2016. The Titans are the seventh NFL team to change coaches since the start of the season.

Robinson said he and Titans president and chief executive officer Steve Underwood told Mularkey on Monday morning that they had decided to let him go.

Robinson said interviews with candidates could be held as early as this week, though the Titans will only confirm a candidate only after an interview is completed. The general manager declined to comment when asked about Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, saying he couldn’t comment on coaches under contract.

Strunk turned to Mularkey in November 2015 when she fired Ken Whisenhunt after 23 games . Mularkey went 2-7 down the stretch as the Titans finished 3-13 to land the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2016. That capped a 5-27 record over 2014 and 2015 that was the worst in the NFL.

Mularkey led the Titans to back-to-back 9-7 records — their first consecutive winning records since 2007 and 2008. He finished with a 21-22 record after a season in which the Titans cost themselves the AFC South title with a three-game skid in December.

Mularkey