Forty-eight hours after the Tennessee Titans got embarrassed by their former star receiver A.J. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles, the man who sent Brown to Philly is out of a job.
The Titans announced on Tuesday morning that general manager Jon Robinson had been relieved of his duties, nearly 10 months to the day after signing him to a contract extension in February.
Ryan Cowden, who has served as Titans vice president of player personnel since 2018, will take over as interim GM for the remainder of the season, according to the team. Aaron Wilson of KPCR Houston reports that head coach Mike Vrabel is expected to have “significant power” over personnel decisions moving forward.
"Since becoming controlling owner in 2015, my goal has been to raise the standard for what is expected in all facets of our organization,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk says in a statement. “I believe we have made significant progress both on and off the field through investments in leadership, personnel and new ideas. This progress includes the core of our business, the football team itself, which is regularly evaluated both by results (wins and losses) and team construction/roster building.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished in my eight seasons of ownership, but I believe there is more to be done and higher aspirations to be met," she continues. "I want to thank Jon for his dedicated work to set this organization on an upward trajectory. And I wish him and his family the best."
Though Robinson brought the Titans back to respectability — as is evidenced by Tennessee’s .605 winning percentage (66-43 record) under his leadership including six winning seasons, four playoff appearances, back-to-back AFC South titles and an appearance in the AFC Championship game — he wasn’t without his faults.
Some of the biggest blunders of the Robinson era include swings and misses on multiple draft picks, including Isaiah Wilson, Caleb Farley, Kevin Dodd and Rashaan Evans, whiffs on notable free agent signings like Vic Beasley and Jadeveon Clowney, and the Brown trade.
The Titans (7-5), losers of two straight, hold a three-game lead over the Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1) in the AFC South. Just one of their final five games is against a team with a winning record (Dallas, 9-3) and three are against division opponents — two against Jacksonville (4-8) and one against Houston (1-10-1).
Follow Michael Gallagher on Twitter @MGsports_.
