Titans make shocking midseason change
Mar 2, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Titans appear to be headed for their fourth consecutive playoff appearance, but they are apparently not pleased with the work that general manager Jon Robinson has done.
The Titans announced on Tuesday that they have fired Robinson. Vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden will act as the team’s GM for at least the remainder of the season. Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk issued a statement in which she thanked Robinson and said the team believes there are “higher aspirations to be met.”
From #Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk on the firing of GM Jon Robinson. pic.twitter.com/sJbgjnO7S1
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 6, 2022
Robinson had been Tennessee’s general manager since 2016. He served as the director of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2013-2015 and was with the New England Patriots in a variety of roles for a decade prior to that.
The Titans are 7-5 and in first place in the AFC South, which is why the major change came as a shock. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted, it may not have been a coincidence that Robinson lost his job days after former Titans wide receiver AJ Brown went off for 119 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel didn't want to trade AJ Brown. Jon Robinson did it anyway. On Sunday Brown had 119 yards and 2 TDs as his new team blew out the Titans. And now Robinson is paying the price. https://t.co/ENqmVGosx7
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) December 6, 2022
Robinson made some quality draft picks, highlighted by Brown and star running back Derrick Henry. The Titans signed the 46-year-old to an extension back in February. Albert Breer of The MMQB reports that some within the organization were stunned by Robinson’s firing.
If the Titans make the playoffs, they will have reached the postseason in four of the six seasons that Robinson oversaw as GM. They did not have a losing season during that stretch.
