Tag: jon robinson

Titans’ Derrick Henry reacts to Jon Robinson firing

Titans RB Derrick Henry says he was as shocked as everyone else upon learning of Jon Robinson’s firing.

For the first time since the Tennessee Titans fired general manager Jon Robinson on Tuesday, running back Derrick Henry reacted to the move.

Henry was one of Robinson’s first draft picks upon taking over in 2016. The Alabama product was taken by the former Titans general manager in the second round of the draft that year.

Since then, Henry has become a franchise cornerstone and one of the very best players in team history. He has been instrumental in helping to turn Tennessee around since coming aboard.

Robinson and the Titans rewarded Henry with a four-year, $50 million deal in 2020.

Henry stated he was as shocked as everyone else when the news broke of Robinson’s firing, and he said he has since spoken to the former Titans general manager to thank him.

“I think I was shocked just like everybody else was,” Henry said.

Henry and the Titans will take the field for the first time in the post-Robinson era on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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What Titans players said about Jon Robinson firing

On Wednesday, Titans S Kevin Byard and other players reacted to the firing of Jon Robinson.

One day after Jon Robinson was fired, Tennessee Titans players shared their reactions to the news before practice on Wednesday.

Prior to the players sharing their thoughts, head coach Mike Vrabel thanked Robinson while also diving into what’s next after the move. You can check out everything else Vrabel had to say about the situation right here.

“And with that, obviously change is never easy but we realize that we all have a job to do,” Vrabel said. “That job is evaluated each and every day. I told the team this, I met with all the staff — we have a personal relationship with Jon, everybody here in some capacity, and so our personal feelings aren’t what’s important.

“What’s important is that we respect and understand the decision, and that we move forward aligned, and do everything that we can to prepare our players and be great for them as we go out against the Jaguars at home,” he concluded.

Now, what the players had to say.

Titans’ Mike Vrabel addresses Jon Robinson firing, what’s next

On Wednesday, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the firing of Jon Robinson.

For the first time since former Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson was fired on Tuesday, head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the matter in his Wednesday press conference.

Vrabel began the presser with a statement on Robinson, who he thanked for giving him the opportunity to coach the Titans. Of course, Robinson hired Vrabel in 2018.

“I want to start by personally thanking Jon Robinson and his family,” Vrabel said. “For their care, effort and support that they’ve shown the team and our fans for the past seven years. I want to thank him for giving me the opportunity to lead this football team on the field, to coach it each and every day.

“And with that, obviously change is never easy but we realize that we all have a job to do. That job is evaluated each and every day. I told the team this, I met with all the staff — we have a personal relationship with Jon, everybody here in some capacity, and so our personal feelings aren’t what’s important. What’s important is that we respect and understand the decision, and that we move forward aligned, and do everything that we can to prepare our players and be great for them as we go out against the Jaguars at home.”

One of the reports that have come out in the wake of Robinson’s firing stated that Vrabel is now expected to have “significant power” over personnel decisions.

When asked about that, Vrabel said the process isn’t changing and that both he and vice president of player personnel and interim general manager, Ryan Cowden, will work together, but Amy Adams Strunk has the final say.

“Ryan Cowden and I will continue to communicate in that process as we get down the stretch of trying to figure out the active roster, players that are looking to return from injury,” Vrabel said. “That process isn’t going to change.”

Vrabel said he has since been in touch with Robinson after the move and the two had a phone conversation on Tuesday night. He also said they were on the same page with their approach, something that has been in question.

Of course, one of the biggest topics has been Robinson’s trade of A.J. Brown, whose dominant performance against the Titans in Week 13 appeared to be the final straw.

Here’s what Vrabel had to say about that, including his note that there were indeed conversations between Robinson and ownership prior to the Brown trade.

“Here’s what I feel, to look back and second-guess, we made a decision we felt like was in the best interest of the football team,” Vrabel said. “A.J.’s in Philadelphia.”

Another report stated that Vrabel didn’t lobby for Robinson’s firing, and he backed that up by saying he wasn’t included in the decision and he was only informed of it after it happened. He also said he supports

One person missing from Wednesday’s presser was the person responsible for this move, which Adams Strunk herself. It’ll be interesting to see if the Titans owner meets with the media in the wake of making such a huge decision.

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Amy Adams Strunk sends clear, important message with Jon Robinson firing

Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk sent a clear message with the firing of Jon Robinson, and it’s a great one.

Back in 2019, the Tennessee Titans had the now-infamous slogan, “good to great,” with the idea that the team would finally take that next step from average or slightly better to something bigger.

Despite being unable to break through from the dreaded 9-7 record, the team was able to get as close to that goal as it had been in a long time in what was one of the more improbable runs in franchise history.

The underdog Titans ended the Tom Brady era IN New England, and then went on to shock the world and upset the Baltimore Ravens, leading to an AFC Championship Game showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.

And even though the Titans lost that game — and after getting an early lead, may I mind you — the run left both players and fans with a taste of something greater, which led to Super Bowl expectations.

And that was the beginning of Jon Robinson’s downfall.

Let’s not forget that Robinson deserves credit, not just for the good teams he built in the past few years — and for his attempts to go for it with moves that were almost universally loved at the time, like Jadeveon Clowney and Julio Jones — but also for pulling this organization out of the dumpster it was in before he got here.

But he was unable to re-create the 2019 finish in the next few years, let alone build on it. And while the Titans were definitely good in 2020 and 2021, they simply weren’t great, something that was no longer acceptable.

As a result, all of his misses (draft picks included) were magnified, and it was no longer “In J-Rob we trust,” but rather “what the hell is J-Rob doing?”

The dam broke when Robinson traded A.J. Brown. Dealing one of the franchise’s best receivers of all time in a championship window was never a good idea, and to do so before exhausting all avenues made it even worse.

It’s only fitting Robinson got canned after the Titans got embarrassed by Brown and the Eagles on Sunday, but that’s not the only reason.

Ultimately, the inability to advance past the good stage in recent years didn’t sit well with Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk, who said as much in her statement along with the announcement of Robinson’s firing.

Since becoming controlling owner in 2015, my goal has been to raise the standard for what is expected in all facets of our organization. I believe we have made significant progress both on and off the field through investments in leadership, personnel and new ideas. 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. 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.

Had Robinson met those expectations, some of his blunders might’ve been forgiven, but as the Titans are heading toward another good (and I’d argue slightly less than good) but not great season, Adams Strunk refused to sit around and accept it any longer.

The firing of Robinson sends a clear message: Adams Strunk wants bigger and better things for this franchise when it comes to winning — and that’s great news for the Titans and their fans.

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Report: Mike Vrabel didn’t lobby for Jon Robinson’s firing

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel reportedly did not lobby for former GM Jon Robinson to get fired.

As we learn more and more about what led to the firing of former Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson, the more and more the move makes sense.

Not only was he reportedly at odds with head coach Mike Vrabel and owner Amy Adams Strunk over personnel decisions, his overall results were not viewed as favorable in the eyes of ownership.

But despite the fact that Vrabel and Robinson didn’t see eye-to-eye, the Titans head coach did not lobby for the now-former general manager’s firing behind the scenes, according to Buck Reising of AtoZ Sports Nashville.

According to sources, Robinson’s compounding mistakes had been wearing on Tennessee’s ownership for some time. While Vrabel and Robinson have had disagreements on personnel decisions, no public or private undermining of the former general manager by the coach is said to have occurred. Robinson and Vrabel had a healthy working relationship during their time together.

Among the moves we know of that Robinson and Vrabel didn’t agree on were the trading of A.J. Brown, the trade for Julio Jones, and the release of punter Brett Kern, as Reising reported on Tuesday.

With Robinson gone, the Titans have named Ryan Cowden the interim GM, but reports suggest that Vrabel is likely to have “significant power” moving forward. Hopefully that yields better results.

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Jon Robinson’s lack of patience with A.J. Brown proved costly

Jon Robinson needed to exercise more patience with A.J. Brown, and his decision not to proved costly, Shaun Calderon writes.

The Tennessee Titans caught the sports world off guard when they fired general manager Jon Robinson on Tuesday.

To say this move was a shock would be a massive understatement. The decision to move on is understandable, but the fact that it happened mid-season during a winning campaign is what’s so surprising.

The timing of it all seems to indicate that ownership really did not enjoy watching Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown torching the team he once played for.

Several other factors certainly played into the decision, such as missed draft picks and failed free-agent acquisitions, but you have to be pretty naive to think that last Sunday’s overall disaster didn’t play into this decision.

Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk has now made it loud and clear that her hands weren’t exactly cramping up when it came time to give the Ole Miss product a new deal.

Truthfully, the narrative that the Titans had no choice but to trade Brown was always delusional and non-sensical.

Tennessee always had a choice, and the decision Robinson seemingly made for them was to move on rather than being patient and exhausting every option when it came to negotiations.

Even if Brown supposedly cut off communication after asking for $80 million in guaranteed money back in April — the most irrelevant time of the year for veterans to be in contact with their team — the Titans had the right to tell his representation to call back when he’s realistic with his demands, otherwise they’ll see him in July.

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Tennessee always had the leverage in this situation. Now, would this topic have been discussed to a nauseating degree every single day? Probably.

But what history shows us is that being patient and playing the leverage game often leads to both parties meeting halfway at some point.

You don’t have to look any further than the three similar examples from just last offseason.

Despite a ton of similar trade rumors, the 49ers eventually inked Deebo Samuel after things looked incredibly bleak, the Seahawks signed DK Metcalf, and the Commanders kept Terry McLaurin

Make no mistake about it, where there’s a will, there’s always a way, and especially in this era where the salary cap can be manipulated in a multitude of ways.

Absolute worst-case scenario, Robinson calls his bluff that he’s not going to hold out when it really matters, forcing him to finish out his contract, and then deal him next offseason after franchise tagging him.

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However, at that point all the leverage would shift back to the talented wideout because the team would no longer be able to fine him.

But in no way, shape, or form was Brown ever going to cost himself money in the short term by holding out in 2022, and he damn sure was never going to put bad football on film and cost himself money in the long term.

Robinson had the choice to either sign him, play the long and annoying leverage game, force him to finish out his deal, or prematurely cave in negotiations.

The former Titans GM chose the latter.

That decision, combined with the fact that the Titans are right back amongst the worst wide receiver rooms in the NFL — a place this franchise knew all too well up until Brown was selected back in 2019 — ultimately became the final nail in Robinson’s metaphoric coffin.

To make that move in the middle of a Super Bowl window always required instant success that at least somewhat mirrored Brown’s impact.

Treylon Burks could very well become an elite player in the league as the year’s pass, but that doesn’t change the fact that JRob traded a bona fide superstar for a rookie when the team was on the cusp of a championship run just a season ago.

That type of gamble was never going to provide any type of long-term patience.

In the end, Robinson made his decision to move on from one of the most electrifying players in franchise history — and now, at least partly as a result, the Titans have made theirs.

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Titans facing must-win scenario in wake of Jon Robinson firing

The Titans are facing a must-win scenario in Week 14 vs. the Jags, but it’s more than just about the division, Tyler Rowland writes.

Sunday’s game at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars is a MUST WIN for the Tennessee Titans.

Outside of the obvious reasons of a division game and the AFC South lead, the vibes are really up in the air. The firing of general manager Jon Robinson is a MAJOR shake-up and head coach Mike Vrabel Vrabel needs to steady the ship.

Imagine if your boss got fired and his second in command replaced him in a power struggle with ownership. The office would be buzzing, so the players will obviously be discussing as well.

Not to mention, these last two losses HURT, not just for the fan base, but the players’ spirits, too. They need to get right so bad.

Historically, the Titans have dominated Jacksonville, and they’re AT HOME. So, a home loss to the 4-8 Jaguars could really break the spirit of the team and will unleash the national media hounds.

All the scrutiny and focus will be on Vrabel and the players, and questions about how the firing is affecting the team will be constant. Not only will that attention be annoying to the fan base, but it will most certainly be frustrating for the team, as well.

And, in a darkest-timeline scenario, the season could end poorly and affect how certain players feel about the franchise. Now, I don’t think that will happen because the players trust Vrabel more than anyone — and I do as well.

So, with a cross-country trip to Los Angeles lying ahead, the Titans would do well to take care of business this weekend at home and get Derrick Henry back on track against his yearly punching bag!

Either way, it’s all on Vrabel now, and not just from a big-picture perspective, but specifically this week. It’s a MUST WIN for the Titans and Vrabel, because a loss would mean the storm has just begun.

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Report: Mike Vrabel disagreed with A.J. Brown trade, at least 2 other key moves

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was reportedly at odds with at least three big moves former GM Jon Robinson made.

As we wrote in the hours after the Tennessee Titans fired general manager Jon Robinson, it was clear that he and head coach Mike Vrabel simply weren’t on the same page.

And thanks to Buck Reising of AtoZ Sports Nashville, we have more specifics on exactly what some of their disagreements were.

Reising reports that Vrabel did not agree with the trade for Julio Jones, trading away A.J. Brown, or releasing veteran punter Brett Kern.

According to multiple league sources, Robinson and Vrabel had several notable disagreements on key player decisions over the last few seasons. Trading Brown, trading for Jones and releasing former punter Brett Kern were a few such decisions.

As Reising notes, the pair “had several notable disagreements on key player decisions over the last few seasons,” so this wasn’t a rare occurrence.

Vrabel disagreeing with the Brown trade comes as no surprise, as the Titans head coach showed clear frustration at the draft when it happened, and that was after he was adamant about not trading Brown.

As far as those three decisions are concerned, Robinson got the better of Vrabel in one of them, as Ryan Stonehouse has turned out to be a really good punter, even though it did hurt to part ways with a franchise legend.

However, that success pales in comparison to the failures of the Brown and Jones trades, both of which blew up in the Titans’ face. And, interestingly enough, the former move set the stage for Brown to put the finishing touches on Robinson’s tenure in Nashville.

The more we uncover about Robinson’s time with the Titans, the more the firing makes sense, timing and all.

Robinson was at odds with a head coach who was better at his job than the former Titans GM was at his, with owner Amy Adams Strunk, and the team simply wasn’t moving in the right direction overall personnel-wise.

Now, Vrabel will have his opportunity to shape the roster exactly how he wants, as the team is reportedly expected to give him “significant power” moving forward.

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NFL fans were convinced that the Titans fired Jon Robinson over the terrible A.J. Brown trade

Trade one of the NFL’s best young WRs, and you might get the axe.

In almost seven seasons as the Tennessee Titans general manager, Jon Robinson never had a losing campaign. His Titans won two AFC South titles, three playoff games, made a surprise run to the 2019 AFC title game, and even captured the AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2021.

Yet, despite this on-field resume, the Titans gave their GM the axe on Tuesday. If the Titans were outright terrible or finished a disappointing season, the move wouldn’t have been that surprising. Given that Tennessee is the current leader of the AFC South, on track for a third straight division championship barring an outright collapse, firing Robinson midseason — who got a contract extension after 2021 — is a rather curious move.

Naturally, any time an executive like Robinson — who wasn’t faultless with creating Tennessee’s current flaws, to be clear — loses their job while their team was still in a playoff chase, speculation may run rampant. In this case, some fans thought Robinson was fired for trading superstar receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles (who happened to dunk on the Titans this past Sunday). The Titans were locked into negotiations for a potential contract extension with Brown last spring, but nothing productive was able to come out of those talks, eventually leading to his exit.

An old video of Titans’ head coach Mike Vrabel’s apparent immediate displeasure at the Brown trade during the 2022 NFL Draft fed into this theory about why Robinson lost his job:

Of course, the implication that Robinson was fired for trading a uniquely gifted playmaker that could’ve helped the NFL’s 29th-ranked passing offense in yardage isn’t noteworthy just because of the trade itself. It also lends to the idea that Vrabel held more power (probably true) than Robinson in the Titans’ facility. Not to mention that good portions of Titans’ draft classes left much to be desired (even though Vrabel almost certainly held a lot of influence there, too).

While entirely possible Robinson was fired for this egregious blunder with Brown, there may yet still be more to this story. This is especially so if the Titans were willing to part with him during the stretch run of another potential division championship campaign.

All that said: You don’t trade 25-year-old skill players like Brown if you can help it!

Schefter: Jon Robinson excluded Amy Adams Strunk from ‘a lot of conversations’

Schefter: Jon Robinson excluded Amy Adams Strunk from ‘a lot of conversations’

As we continue to sort through the aftermath of the Tennessee Titans firing now-former general manager Jon Robinson, ESPN’s Adam Schefter had an interesting note in one of his reports concerning the dynamic between Robinson and Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk.

Per Schefter, Adams Strunk was not happy about being excluded from “a lot of conversations,” which one would assume is personnel decisions.

“This is a situation where the owner was not particularly happy with Jon Robinson and she decided to make a change this morning,” Schefter said.

“I think everybody remembers the A.J. Brown trade. They saw the Eagles this weekend and A.J. Brown lit up the Tennessee Titans… I think the owner was not happy — not entirely happy — about not being included in a lot of conversations, and I think she felt like she wanted to go in a different direction, so they have appointed Ryan Cowden as the interim GM and they’ll wind up being in the GM market after this season.”

It isn’t clear what conversations exactly, but clearly we’re not talking about practice squad signings here if it was enough to get Adams Strunk upset.

If Robinson did make big moves — like trading A.J. Brown — without first going to the owner, that would be quite the gutsy play on his part, and it would be understandable for Adams Strunk to not be happy about it.

But, again, we don’t know exactly what moves Schefter is talking about.

Taking Schefter’s words into consideration with everything else, it’s clear this was something that was building for awhile now; Week 13 was just the final straw.

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