Titans could replace Mike Mularkey with Josh McDaniels
The Tennessee Titans are playing for their season on Sunday, and should they lose, reports are surfacing that Mike Mularkey could be fired.
In the old days, NFL teams would typically give a coach three years before moving onto another regime. These days? You’re lucky to survive a single losing season.
In the case of Mike Mularkey, he may not even have that luxury despite not posting a losing campaign in his two years at the helm. Mularkey took over the Tennessee Titans as the permanent head coach in 2016 and led them to a 9-7 record, barely missing the playoffs. This year, Tennessee is 8-7 and within a win of a wild card berth, but need to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars to do it.
#Titans ownership was in the building all week, and that’s rarely a good sign. Coach Mike Mularkey is in trouble & a loss could seal his fate. #Patriots OC Josh McDaniels will get a hard look pic.twitter.com/zTGhtSifH2
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 31, 2017
According to Ian Rapoport, a loss might seal Mularkey’s fate. The 56-year-old would apparently be safe with a playoff trip, something the franchise hasn’t enjoyed since 2008. The Titans haven’t won a postseason game since 2003 when they defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card round.
Mularkey, who coached the Buffalo Bills for two years and the Jaguars for another, has a career record of 35-53, including his 2-7 stint in 2015 as interim head coach.
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Rapoport is also reporting that New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels would be an early favorite for the position. McDaniels has been rumored to get a second job for a while, after bottoming out in his initial opportunity with the Denver Broncos.
McDaniels, 41, coached Denver for 1+ seasons from 2009-10 and compiled a mark of 11-17 before being fired. Since then, he worked as an offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams in 2011 before retaining that role in New England from 2012 to the present day.