Titans GM reached point of no return with Matthews

NASHVILLE, TENN. » The Tennessee Titans now are without their top two receiving threats this season, releasing wide receiver Rishard Matthews after they couldn’t trade the veteran.

General manager Jon Robinson said Thursday morning that Matthews talked with him last week about being unhappy, then came to him Monday requesting to be traded or released. The Titans talked with several teams, but Robinson said nothing came from those discussions with Matthews unhappy over his role in the offense.

“It had reached kind of maybe a point of no return for him,” Robinson said. “I told him several times, several times, that I know you can help this football team. I believed in him. That’s why we signed him a couple years ago, and he’s been good for our football team the last couple years.”

The Titans currently are without three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker who broke his right ankle in the season opener.

Matthews was one of the first free agents signed by Robinson after he became Tennessee’s general manager in 2016. The wide receiver led the Titans with 1,740 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns combined over the past two seasons and started 20 of 30 games in that span.

Coming off injuries that limited him through the offseason and preseason, Matthews had not started once. He also had only three catches for 11 yards.

The receiver, who turns 29 on Oct. 12, wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday that “Daddy’s home for good. That is unless someone Calls him to get off the couch.” Matthews did not practice Wednesday with what Titans coach Mike Vrabel said at the time were personal reasons.

Vrabel declined to talk about Matthews after practice, saying he would talk about the players on the Titans and Sunday’s opponent in the Eagles.

Matthews had criticized Tennessee’s offense late last season. The Titans hired a new coach in Vrabel, who brought in offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur to install a new offense.

Injuries limited Matthews with the new offense being installed this offseason. He wasn’t removed from the physically unable to perform list Aug. 26 . The Titans even signed Matthews to an extension through 2019 on Aug. 21, a deal the receiver negotiated on his own.

Matthews returned just as quarterback Marcus Mariota hurt his elbow in the season opener, severely limiting the Titans’