Mike Mularkey Out As Titans Coach

NASHVILLE, TN -- After failing to come to an agreement on an extension, the Tennessee Titans and coach Mike Mularkey "agreed to part ways," the team announced Monday.

“I want to thank Mike Mularkey for his contributions to our franchise over his tenure with our organization. He took over our team during a low moment and together with Jon built a solid foundation for our franchise. I appreciated that Mike devoted himself to this team and the community," controlling owner Amy Adams Struck said in a statement posted on the team's web site.

"In fact, we did discuss extending his future with our team over the past week, but in those discussions about the direction of the team, it became evident that we saw different paths to achieve greater success," she said. "It is certainly unfortunate that we couldn’t find enough common ground. I generally believe that continuity is the best path for success, but I also view this as an important moment for our football team as we try to make that next step to sustained success on the field. Jon will begin the search immediately to identify that person.”

A popular pick to win the AFC South, the Titans sneaked into the playoffs with a Week 17 win against division champion Jacksonville and advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs after an epic second-half comeback against the Chiefs in Kansas City. The team's season ended with a 35-14 dismantling by the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., Saturday.

Mularkey was named coach ahead of the 2016 season after serving as interim coach for the last five games of 2015.

Questions swirled around Mularkey's future after the middling season, particularly with the development of quarterback Marcus Mariota, who statistically took a step back in 2017 despite the team's relative success. Rumors persisted even into the moments before the wild-card round game against Kansas City, though the win quieted the whispers with Strunk issuing a statement that Mularkey's job was safe.

General manager Jon Robinson is expected to hold a press conference later Monday.

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)