One Titans coach candidate tipping his hand on how he feels about the job
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans are conducting a thorough search for the franchise's next head coach. Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk made the decision to fire Mike Vrabel from the position after a 6-11 season and six years on the job. Stagnation with the team and disagreements between Strunk and Vrabel about the direction Tennessee […]
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans are conducting a thorough search for the franchise's next head coach. Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk made the decision to fire Mike Vrabel from the position after a 6-11 season and six years on the job.
Stagnation with the team and disagreements between Strunk and Vrabel about the direction Tennessee needs to head in necessitated the move.
One of the 11 candidates that the Titans requested for their job opening does not appear to prioritize them, however. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the most requested interviewee for the seven NFL teams with head coaching vacancies this month. Six of the seven clubs requested virtual interviews with the 37-year old play-caller.
Johnson has met or is scheduled to meet with five of those six before Detroit hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs this Sunday.
Tennessee is the odd team out for Johnson, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Jones noted that the Lions offensive coordinator had already met with the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders about their head coaching position. He will meet with the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons on Saturday.
Barring a late addition to his schedule, Johnson will not meet with the Titans until after Detroit's next game.
"To get the right head coach, I was not willing to go to the back of the line and take a chance of missing out on someone we really wanted," Strunk said in a video statement. Those comments were a part of a larger answer to a question team play-by-play voice Mike Keith asked Strunk about any truth to the rumors that the team explored trading Vrabel for draft capital. The process would take too long, and Strunk was not willing to wait.
We will see who Tennessee lands on in the coming days as teams can begin in-person interviews with coaching candidates on Jan. 22. That one of the top options might not see the Titans in the same light is plenty concerning.
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NASHVILLE — Ran Carthon strategically stayed out the spotlight in his first season as general manager of the Tennessee Titans. With former coach Mike Vrabel fired at the end of the 2023 season and a vacancy to be filled, Carthon has no choice but to take a more front-facing role. The task: finding a more […]
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