By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Pro Football Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee owner Amy Adams Strunk fired general manager Jon Robinson on Tuesday in the midst of his seventh season with the Titans off to a 7-5 start.
The Titans announced Strunk’s decision in a statement. Ryan Cowden, the vice president of player personnel, will handle player personnel for the rest of this season. The Titans plan to start searching for a new general manager soon with a full search at the end of the season.
Strunk said her goal since becoming controlling owner in March 2015 has been to raise the standard for every part of the NFL franchise founded by her late father, Bud. Strunk said she believes the Titans have made “significant progress” on and off the field.
“This progress includes the core of our business, the football team itself, which is regularly evaluated both by results (wins and losses) and team construction/roster building,” Strunk said. “I am proud of what we have accomplished in my eight seasons of ownership, but I believe there is more to be done and higher aspirations to be met.”
A native of Union City, Tennessee, Robinson was hired as general manager in January 2016 after this franchise posted a 5-27 record in 2014 and 2015.
The Titans never went worse than 9-7 in Robinson’s tenure. That includes earning the AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2021 with a 12-5 record despite setting an NFL record using 91 players in a non-strike season. Both he and coach Mike Vrabel had their contracts extended in February.
The Titans currently sit atop the AFC South with a chance to win the division for a third straight year, something that this franchise hasn’t done since its beginning in the original AFL.
But they just were routed 35-10 in Philadelphia, a loss that featured a big performance by the wide receiver Robinson traded to the Eagles during the first round of the NFL draft. A.J. Brown wanted a new contract and got it from Philadelphia in the deal Tennessee used to draft rookie Treylon Burks at No. 18.
Brown had eight catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns against the Titans and has 61 catches for 950 yards and nine touchdowns for the season.
The Titans allowed a season-high six sacks in that loss behind an offensive line that featured three new starters due to a combination of salary cap moves during the offseason and a season-ending injury to left tackle Taylor Lewan.
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Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker
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