Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Titans have offered HC Mike Mularkey a contract extension following the team’s playoff performance.
This prevents Mularkey from being a lame-duck head coach in 2018.
While ownership has come up with a statement supporting Mularkey as their head coach moving forward, Rapoport reported Saturday that a few members of the Titans’ coaching who aren’t sure they believe this.
According to Rapoport, these members of the Titans’ coaching staff still thought they could be jeopardy.
Here’s the statement from Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk that was released after the team’s win over the Chiefs last week:
“Our mantra all season has been to take things week by week and not get ahead of ourselves and it obviously has served us well. I regret that outside rumors gained a life of their own. No one has been a bigger supporter of Mike Mularkey than I have over the last two plus seasons. Mike and Jon have changed the culture of our team and organization and I am so happy we have been able to bring success on the field to our fans – winning 19 games over the last two seasons, including our first playoff win in nine years. Just to eliminate any distractions moving forward, Mike Mularkey is our head coach and will be our head coach moving forward. We still have work to be done, including this week, but I am looking forward to the journey.”
Mularkey was clearly emotional following the team’s surprising upset of the Chiefs when asked about the report that he could be out if he had lost.
“I don’t think it’s fair to my family,” Mularkey said, via ESPN.com. “When it has an effect on my family, it has an effect on me. So it had a big effect on me.”
Mularkey added that he hasn’t received any support to make him think he would be back with the team.
“I haven’t had any support to say I was,” Mularkey said. “I just assumed the worst.”
Mularkey, 56, began his NFL coaching career with the Buccaneers in 1994 as their tight ends coach. Since then, Mularkey has worked for a number of NFL teams including the Steelers, Bills, Dolphins, Falcons and Jaguars before he joined Ken Whisenhunt’s staff back in 2014.
After Whisenhunt was fired in 2015, Mularkey was elevated to interim head coach and managed to hold on to the job.
During his tenure as the Titans head coach, Mularkey has led them to a record of 20-21 (48.8 percent) and one playoff appearance.
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