Titans fire Vrabel, decided against trading coach

The Tennessee Titans fired coach Mike Vrabel on Tuesday after back-to-back losing seasons, and although he might have had trade value to other teams with a head-coaching vacancy, the team’s owner said she didn’t want to wait out such a scenario.

In an interview posted by the team Tuesday, controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk was asked if she considered trading the coach instead of firing him.

“Yes, there was. But there’s a bit of misconception about a coach’s contract, say versus a player’s contract. A coach’s contract, you can’t trade them unless they are a willing partner to that trade,” she said. “So, yes, we thought about it but at the end of the day with league rules the way they are it would have maybe put us back three weeks and you know, to get the right head coach I was just not willing to go to the back of the line and take a chance of missing out on someone we really wanted.”

Earlier Tuesday, in a statement announcing Vrabel’s firing, Strunk said she told Vrabel her decision to fire him “was as difficult as any I’ve made as Controlling Owner.”

Vrabel’s firing comes a year after the Titans made a change at general manager, hiring Ran Carthon.

“As the NFL continues to innovate and evolve, I believe the teams best positioned for sustained success will be those who empower an aligned and collaborative team across all football functions. Last year, we began a shift in our approach to football leadership and made several changes to our personnel to advance that plan. 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 in her statement.

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Carthon said he and Vrabel never had any issues, dispelling speculation to the contrary.

“Whether it’s personal or professional, we worked well together and had a good relationship. We were in lockstep,” he said. “… I wish Vrabes nothing but the best, I consider him a friend and I feel like we’ll be that way moving forward.”

Vrabel, 48, led Tennessee to four consecutive winning seasons after arriving in 2018, but the Titans have experienced back-to-back frustrating seasons, finishing multiple games under .500 both times.

The Titans finished 6-11 this season.

“I will never shy away from acknowledging that I have unapologetically high expectations for the football team and every aspect of the Titans organization,” Strunk said in her statement. “Our vision is not simply to produce more wins than losses, it is to regularly compete for championships. While this season was disappointing, I see early signs of progress taking shape. Last year we added a promising young quarterback and several other talented players to our roster. With a coaching search, enviable cap space, and top-10 draft position, this offseason is as important as any in our history. I’m excited for the weeks and months ahead. We will meet the moment.”

Carthon said the team will launch “an exhaustive” search for its next coach and that he will be involved along with Strunk.

Carthon said he met with each of the team’s assistant coaches individually Tuesday and that the new head coach will decide whether to retain any of the current staff.

The Titans selected quarterback Will Levis in the second round of last year’s draft, and he started nine games. The Titans hold the No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft.

Carthon said that when the Titans decided to start Levis over veteran Ryan Tannehill during the season, that call was made in unison between himself and Vrabel in consultation with Strunk.

The general manager said he told Levis before he made his first start, “‘You don’t have to be No. 1. You just have to be one of 11.'”

“We’re not going to make our whole search about Will Levis. We have other guys on this team that are going to require coaching, they’re going to require development, but we will bring someone in here that sees it the same way and is more than willing to work with him,” he said.

Titans star running back Derrick Henry, who will be a free agent in March, told The Athletic he was stunned by Vrabel’s firing.

“Wow. Wow. I’m shocked. Coach Vrabel is a leader of men. He is a great coach and teacher. I know he will get another opportunity right away. I look forward to it,” he said.

Carthon said Tuesday that he “had a real good conversation” with Henry on Monday but the decision on whether to try to re-sign the running back will be made between himself and the new head coach.

“The door is never closed,” Carthon said.

Vrabel guided Tennessee to back-to-back AFC South championships in 2020 and 2021, and the Titans earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 2021, the same year Vrabel was named NFL Coach of the Year.

Vrabel finishes his Titans tenure with a 54-45 record. He was 2-3 in the postseason, including in 2019 when he led Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game.