On a Monday filled with high-profile firings, Tennessee Titans executive Mike Reinfeldt's departure struck an odd note.
Reinfeldt, one season removed from his five-year run as general manager, spent 2012 as the Titans' senior executive vice president and COO, mainly dealing with the financial side of the operation.
With new GM Ruston Webster and coach Mike Munchak secure in their jobs -- for now -- why was Reinfeldt sent packing by owner Bud Adams?
Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean believes it comes down to Peyton Manning and the Titans' botched attempt to sign the All-Pro quarterback during his offseason free-agency tour.
"In the days leading up to Adams going public with his interest in Manning, he repeatedly told Reinfeldt he wanted the Titans to get in the mix ... Reinfeldt was in communication with the 89-year-old Adams on a regular basis," Wyatt writes. "Adams felt like Reinfeldt didn't take him seriously enough. Adams wondered if Reinfeldt even spread the news to (Webster or Munchak). At the time, the Titans were focused on making it work with quarterbacks Jake Locker and Matt Hasselbeck."
A solid theory, because Adams can't enjoy watching the Denver Broncos morph into the AFC's top seed while the Titans flounder about in the AFC South.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
