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As it turns out, there was a fire underneath all of that smoke we had seen out of Titans’ ownership over the past few weeks. Despite a playoff win, the Titans have decided to move on from head coach Mike Mularkey.
This was initially reported as a possibility from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. He stuck to his guns, even after the win over the Jaguars. Mularkey seemed to stabilize things with that win over Kansas City, however.
It’s clear that ownership wanted some changed that Mularkey wasn’t willing to make though, which ultimately ended their relationship.
Part of the report from Rapoport a few weeks ago was about Josh McDaniels being Mularkey’s replacement. With the Patriots still alive in the playoffs, McDaniels is still on the open market.
He was thought of as the favorite to land the Colts job, but this morning’s developments might just change that.
The #Titans planned to fire Mike Mularkey after Week 17. Then after the playoff loss that never came. It was all about Josh McDaniels. Now, the #Colts and the #Titans may battle it out for him.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 15, 2018
The belief was that #Patriots OC Josh McDaniels would prefer the #Titans over all coaching jobs. The health of Andrew Luck was an issue, as was the high ceiling with Marcus Mariota.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 15, 2018
For what it’s worth, Jason La Canfora says this. His track record reporting on the Titans is less than stellar, so grain of salt here.
As much as Titans covet Josh McDaniels, there's little to no shot of landing him this late in the game. The Colts remain heavy favorites
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 15, 2018
McDaniels was hired in 2009 as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. After an 8-8 record in his first season, the wheels fell off. He was fired after a 3-9 start to the 2010 campaign.
He rebounded after that, landing the offensive coordinator gig with the Rams. From there he returned to the Patriots, dialing up the offense for Bill Belichick ever since.
Did McDaniels learn enough from missteps as the head coach in Denver? It’s been over seven years now. That’s the main question I’ve got right now. He seemed to be the fan favorite two years ago when the Titans opted to keep Mularkey. They’ve got a shot for a complete do-over here now.
The New England ties between he and GM Jon Robinson are obvious. It sounds like this is where the Titans’ search will begin.
Update: After saying that McDaniels would prefer Tennessee, Rapoport is now reporting that McDaniels is expected to take the Colts job.