NASHVILLE, Tenn. – What’s the fate of Mike Vrabel’s coaching staff?

Ran Carthon said he won’t stand in the way of an opportunity for any of them in the coming weeks if they have a job opportunity they want to accept before the Titans’ new coach is in place.

But once that guy is hired, Carthon intends to present whoever remains to him and allow him to interview who he’d like.

Amy Adams Strunk doesn’t seem wild about who Vrabel leaves behind. Each assistant has one year remaining on his contract.

She said in her statement, "As I continued to assess the state of our team, I arrived at the conclusion that the team would also benefit from the fresh approach and perspective of a new coaching staff.”

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans have a clear vision for the future.

They just can't share it.

Ran Carthon twisted himself up on the most fundamental, basic, predictable question during a 30-minute-plus press conference Tuesday afternoon after Amy Adams Strunk fired Mike Vrabel early in the day.

How hard is it to at least use a boilerplate placeholder like, I don't know, "Win a Super Bowl?"

Instead, an anxious audience of fans who seem to have turned to be in favor of retaining Vrabel are left with no vision or direction for the GM who also declined to talk about the qualities the team seeks in Vrabel's replacement. 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Mike Vrabel can be too much of an alpha, and being so can come across poorly when you're guiding a losing team.

He had a hand in the Titans' roster, but it was Jon Robinson, fired in early Dec. of 2022, who dug the team's big hole. It takes a good while to come out so much early-round failure and to get level with the cap.

Now he's a victim of wavering ownership that extended him in Feb. 2022 and backed him over Robinson just 13 months ago.

Vrabel deserved a chance to continue to work back from the roster issues. Maybe he didn't even want that.

He will get another job quickly.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Vrabel is out as coach of the Titans after six seasons.

The weak-rostered Titans were 6-18 in their last 24 games and missed the playoffs the last two seasons.

That's the top reason the team will look for a fresh perspective.

Vrabel finishes his Titans tenure with a 54-48 record with three playoff appearances in six seasons. 

Trade possibilities were explored but determined not to be feasible. The timetable and the team's feeling that Vrabel would be willing to participate in a trade were factors. 

Teams cannot talk in person to NFL candidates until after the divisional round of the playoffs which finishes Jan., 21 and have to meet with two external minority candidates to comply with the Rooney Rule.

Now the Titans can start Zoom meetings with some in-house candidates immediately.

Last week, amid rumors of his discontent with things he was asked if he wanted to stay.

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By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans were highly motivated, focused and looked determined to not only spoil the Jaguars playoff bid, but get right on offense and send Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill off to free agency with excellent last games in front of the home crowd.

The Titans once again played the bully. It was a long time coming but they finally found an identity they have been searching for the past two seasons. 

The Titans leaned heavy on their best players on offense. Henry, short passes to DeAndre Hopkins from veteran Tannehill, quick screen games to Tyjae Spears and Chig Okonkwo -- utilizing their most explosive offensive threats and keeping the Jaguars’ defense off-balance with a combination of runs, quick passes and allowing the beleaguered Titans’ offensive line to have success without long developing pass plays and protections.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Are the Titans working on a trade of Mike Vrabel right now?

We don’t know.

We don’t know a lot of things, which we have to accept and which could change in moments.

But a deal for a coach isn’t a sprint, and if that’s what is happening it’s likely to take at least a bit of time. I wouldn't dismiss the idea he still could stay, either.

In the history of the Titans in Nashville, the coach has always spoken to the press on clean-out day. But on Monday, when a huge share of the roster talked to the media while cleaning out lockers and saying goodbye, Vrabel did not talk. The current play is that he will talk later this week.

Another notable piece of information that could be an indicator about him:

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By JAKE DOWNARD

With a win at Nissan Stadium Sunday, the Jaguars would clinch the AFC South, the 4-seed in the playoffs, and welcome Joe Flacco and the Cleveland Browns to Jacksonville next weekend. With a loss, they would find themselves in the exact same position as the Titans and fans around the world next weekend, watching from home. In contrast, the Titans waltzed onto the field eliminated from playoff contention, with the majority of the fanbase already perusing mock drafts and conflicting reports on the future of Mike Vrabel that swirling right through kickoff.

By all accounts, it was a game the Jaguars should win, but once again they were outplayed, outworked, and ultimately beaten by the trio of Mike Vrabel, Ryan Tannehill, and Derrick

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Derrick Henry just turned 30 and his contract expires in March. He left Nissan Stadium facing more questions than he has in a long time. But he didn’t have to worry, as he typically does, about what to eat.

After a vintage 19-carry, 153-yard game with a touchdown in the Titans’ surprising 28-20 upset of the Jaguars Sunday, his strict in-season diet relaxes and a burger from Jack Brown’s was foremost on his mind.

First, he held a 13-minute press conference that was easily the most expansive of his eight-year professional career, during which he bounced between wistfulness about staying and reality about the potential he might move on.

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