The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Titans owner wants ‘fresh approach,’ fires Vrabel after two losing seasons
Tennessee Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk wants a fresh approach to compete in the NFL, so she fired coach Mike Vrabel on Tuesday after six seasons and losses in 18 of the past 24 games.
Strunk said she believes teams best positioned to win must be aligned and collaborate across the board. The Titans started that shift a year ago, hiring Ran Carthon as the franchise’s first Black general manager and expanding the analytics staff. More changes were needed to “fully achieve our vision.”
“As I continued to assess the state of our team, I arrived at the conclusion that the team would also benefit from the fresh approach and perspective of a new coaching staff,” Strunk said.
The announcement came a day after the Titans cleaned out their lockers with Vrabel not speaking to reporters. It was the first time in the franchise’s 27 seasons in Tennessee that the head coach did not talk to reporters since the team moved to the state from Texas.
Several Titans, from rookie quarterback Will Levis to two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, said they wanted to keep Vrabel as their coach. “We all have to do better and do our job better,” said Simmons, who finished the season on injured reserve.
Hired in January 2018, Vrabel went 56-48 overall, including a 2-3 record in the playoffs. He led the Titans to the AFC Championship game in the 2019 season as part of three straight playoff berths. Tennessee lost at home in a wild-card game after the 2020 season and as the AFC’S No. 1 seed capping the 2021 season.
The Titans contended for a playoff spot in the season finale of his first five seasons but were eliminated from postseason contention for this season in December. Vrabel wound up coaching a team that used the most players in the NFL in each of the past three seasons because of injuries.
The Titans wrapped up Vrabel’s sixth season with a 6-11 record. They beat Jacksonville 28-20 Sunday to deny their oldest division rival a second straight AFC South title.
JAGUARS: Coach Doug Pederson has fired nine assistants in total, including running backs coach Bernie Parmalee. Parmalee’s exit was announced Tuesday, a day after Pederson dismissed defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and seven of his assistants on that side of the ball. Pederson also declined to renew the expiring contract of assistant offensive line coach Todd Washington.
STEELERS: Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick missed the final three games of the regular season with a knee injury, but coach Mike Tomlin said he is optimistic of a return for the AFC wild-card game against the Bills on Sunday afternoon.