Dig into the shocking dismissal of Titans GM John Robinson and what it means for other NFL decision makers

A career record of 66-43 as a general manager is enough to get fired in the NFL. unemployed in one of the most shocking personnel changes in

The move didn’t appear to be motivated by an internal power struggle between Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel, sources told CBS Sports.Former Titans receiver A.J. , played a role in Robinson’s sacking, along with the previous week’s loss to the Bengals.

The move has had repercussions in the NFL world. And the team with their own general his manager his owner must be getting a glimpse of what just happened in Nashville.

“If he can get it, it should make the seats hotter for a lot of people,” said one prominent team executive.

Cardinals owner Michael Bidd could miss the playoffs if Titans-dominant owner Amy Adams Strunk can fire the winning GM and happily eat the rest of the year on his newly signed contract You might be inclined to do the same as likely general manager Steve Keem: Sixth time in seven years?

Will Nick Caserio be given another year to hire a third head coach with the league’s strong belief that Lavie Smith won’t survive this season?

And what about Jim Irsay? His general manager, Chris Ballard, had never won the AFC South and had no idea of ​​the quarterback position in the years after Andrew Luck.

Robinson oversaw one of the greatest runs in Titans/Oilers history. The Tennessee native has led the Titans to his 13-2 run in the AFC South since 2020, including his 8-0 on division roads. The Titans are the only team with a winning record in the AFC South since 2020, with a +102 point margin in that period.

Of course, Robinson’s record was not without blemish. The Titans seemed to be stalling in the playoffs every year despite how they won the regular season. Kevin Byard, Harold Landry, AJ Brown — he never signed a second deal.

He also missed big chances at the top of the draft. Kevin Dodd, a top second-round pick in 2016, fell through. Isiah Wilson didn’t even make half a dozen snaps in the league after being drafted late in the first round of 2020 amidst several red flags. In fact, that draft he’s the only one to move to the Titans today from his class. And 2021 first-round draft pick Caleb Farley hasn’t played much, battling injuries (pre-draft red flags).

Robinson fantasized about Vic Beasley and Jadevion Clowney in free agency. He signed one-year deals totaling $22.5 million each, won 13 games in total, and had zero sacks. He traded his second-round pick to Julio Jones, gained a career-low 43.4 yards per game, and scored one of his touchdowns from a frequently injured future Hall of Famer. Earned.

However, Brown’s trade to Philadelphia stands out. Brown’s negotiations with the Titans were not necessarily contentious, but the Titans questioned whether a deal would be reached before the inevitable holdout. Even if either or both ultimately didn’t like the move, they decided to trade the receiver to the Eagles in exchange for a first-round pick. Tralon Burks has appeared in eight games this season and has just 359 receiving yards.

If the Titans wanted a win-win trade the way the Bills and Vikings pulled apart two years ago in Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson, they haven’t made it yet.

Could Brown’s 8-catch, 119-yard, 2-touchdown game last week be the tipping point for Strunk?

“I had already made the decision,” Strunk told The Associated Press last week.

perhaps. Last week’s ownership was Philadelphia’s objectively more talented roster, put together by a general manager who isn’t afraid to deal with anyone in the league and has a solid record of winning those deals conclusively. I was. Further stuck in the claws of the owners may have been the Week 12 loss to the Bengals. The Bengals upset the Titans in the playoffs last year and got better a year later when the Titans seemed stuck in neutral.

But is that the best way to do business? Would you fire a successful GM after seeing the results of the deal first-hand months later, rather than after making the deal you approved? Another division title looming on Tuesday of the week?

Reasonable people can disagree. That gives both Robinson and the Titans the next jump. Tennessee is now led by VP of Player Affairs Ryan Cowden, who consults with Vrabel on all football decisions. Cowden has been a candidate for several GM positions, and before Omar Kahn won the Steelers GM position in the spring, he was considered Pittsburgh’s top-ranked outside candidate.

It’s clear that Vrabel will have more say in personnel changes this year and beyond. A full search will also begin in the coming weeks, and Cowden will be the frontrunner for the upcoming permanent position.

The biggest question facing the next GM (and Vrabel) is what to do at the quarterback position. Ryan Tannehill has a month, January, showing why he deserves to stay for another season. Proving that would require the opposite of his performance in the playoffs last year.

Cutting Tannehill after this season would save him about $18 million in cap space, which also counts as much as $18.8 million against caps in dead money. Players set to become free agents include a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo and former New England teammate of Vrabel Tom Brady.