A top seed has earned extensions for two prominent leaders in Tennessee.
The Titans have signed general manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel to contract extensions, the team announced Tuesday. Tennessee also added a pair of former Texans assistants to its staff: Tim Kelly as passing game coordinator and Bobby King as inside linebackers coach.
"I am proud to say that Jon and Mike will be leading our football team for years to come," Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement released by the team. "I have seen the team improve on a yearly basis under their direction, and I know their singular goal is to deliver a championship for our fans. Together they have developed a culture within our organization that has been essential to our success. Their values align with mine and what I want the Titans to be. They demand excellence from themselves and others, work well together, are always striving to improve and they care deeply for our players and staff."
Such a demand for excellence proved valuable in 2021, a season in which the Titans lost their most important player -- running back Derrick Henry -- for half of the campaign, yet still managed to earn the AFC's No. 1 seed entering the postseason. Their unlikely run to the top seat in the conference ended after just one game, a 19-16 loss to eventual conference champion Cincinnati in the Divisional Round.
The result was both stunning and disappointing to Tennessee fans who'd hoped their team's performance was a sign of a run to a Lombardi Trophy. Instead, they suffered a heartbreaking loss at home and were forced to turn their focus toward the future.
The 2022 season will see the return of a fully healthy Henry to an offense that struggled without him, but not enough to hinder the team's postseason ambitions. A.J. Brown proved to be just as valuable to the Titans' attack, helping them rediscover their offensive magic upon his return.
Brown, Henry, Julio Jones and Ryan Tannehill couldn't produce enough points to win a playoff game, but after three straight postseason appearances (including an AFC Championship Game berth in 2019), the Titans have firmly placed themselves among the top contenders in the AFC. Tennessee isn't about to change what has been a productive pairing in Robinson and Vrabel. The franchise will only hope it can get them beyond the Divisional Round again in the future.
