After consecutive losing seasons, Mike Vrabel was fired as coach of the Tennessee Titans.
It was a choice that Strunk described in a statement as “as difficult as any I’ve made.”
However, she stated that the teams who she thinks have the best chance of winning need to be cohesive and work well together. With the appointment of Ran Carthon as the franchise’s first Black general manager and the growth of its analytics team, the Titans initiated that change a year ago. To “fully achieve our vision,” more adjustments were required.
In a team-released interview, Strunk stated that she evaluated the club during the season. The Titans concluded their 6-11 season on Sunday, having ended 7-10 in 2022. “I felt that change needed to be made,” Strunk stated.
The news was made the day after Vrabel refused to meet with media while the Titans cleared out their lockers. In the 27 seasons the club has played in Tennessee, this was the first time the head coach had avoided speaking with media since the team’s relocation from Texas.
Rookie quarterback Will Levis and two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons are among the Titans who expressed a desire to retain Vrabel as their head coach.
Carthon was hired by the Titans from San Francisco, where he played for six seasons. As the top seed in the NFC, the Niners have qualified for the playoffs in three of the last five seasons and four of the previous five, including a trip to Super Bowl 54.
Tuesday at a press conference, Carthon stated he already had a few contenders for his first head coaching search. The search procedure gets underway right away.
Carthon stated, “I’m sure we’ll get it right. We have to.”
Carthon refuted rumors that there was tension between him and Vrabel by stating that the coach attended all player meetings. Additionally, Carthon said that Vrabel never discussed his desire for greater personnel control with him.
“Players who the coaches don’t want to coach won’t be brought in here,” Carthon declared.
After Washington and Atlanta dismissed their coaches on Monday, the Titans are now the sixth NFL team searching for a new head coach.Coaches were fired by the Raiders, Chargers, and Panthers without waiting for the season to finish.
After owners decided in October to postpone in-person interviews by one week in an effort to slow down the recruiting process and promote diversity in the workforce, NFL teams are unable to begin conducting interviews until after the divisional round.
Additionally, no head coach whose club is done or has a postseason bye can be interviewed by other NFL teams until Tuesday or Wednesday. Groups may begin doing online interviews.
Person-to-person interviews are available for internal candidates or those who are not NFL employees at this time.
Strunk stated that as a coach who was perceived to be a top candidate, the Titans considered trying to move Vrabel. The coach must be open to being moved, she pointed out, and the Titans’ search may have been postponed by three weeks if Vrabel had been dealt.
“I was just not willing to go to the back of the line and take a chance on someone we really wanted,” Strunk said, “in order to get the right head coach.”
Vrabel, who was hired in January 2018, finished 56-48 overall and had a 2-3 record in the postseason, which includes three straight postseason trips and a trip to the AFC title game in 2019.
Until they were removed from postseason contention for this season in December, the Titans fought for a playoff position in the season finale of his first five seasons. Injury-related, Vrabel ended himself coaching a club that over the last three seasons utilized the greatest number of players in the NFL.
Carthon stated that the Titans’ search for a new coach will include learning how to remain healthy, since nine starters missed the season finale.
After winning the AP NFL Coach of the Year title in 2021, Vrabel signed a contract extension. He stated last week that, “of course he wants to be here” in 2024, but he made it obvious that defeat hurts by using an expletives.
On Dec. 6, 2022, after the team’s seven-game losing streak and loss of a third consecutive division championship, Strunk dismissed general manager Jon Robinson. Carthon was employed by her in January 2023, but he lacked the means to improve the roster.
The Titans feel they have their quarterback after Levis went 3-6 as a rookie, and they enter this summer with the seventh overall draft pick and the second-most salary cap room in the NFL.Following veteran Ryan Tannehill’s right ankle sprain at the end of October, Kentucky’s 33rd overall pick assumed command.
When it comes to the squad her late father formed in 1960, Strunk said she will always have “unapologetically high expectations.” She described the current offseason as the most significant in the team’s past. Since taking over in March 2015, Strunk has employed three head coaches in total.
“I’m ready to make the difficult choices in the hopes of getting us there sooner,” Strunk declared.
In spring 2027, Tennessee will begin construction on a new enclosed stadium that will cost an estimated $2.1 billion and open for play. The pressure to make the best choices possible going forward will only increase as a result.