Jon Robinson Fired as Titans GM After 6-Plus Seasons with Franchise

The Tennessee Titans announced Tuesday that they've fired general manager Jon Robinson.

Team owner Amy Adams Strunk issued a statement on the move:

"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."

Vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden will run the front office for the rest of the 2022 NFL season before the franchise launches a full search for Robinson's replacement.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reported head coach Mike Vrabel is "expected to have significant power" moving forward.

It's unclear what specifically precipitated Robinson's ouster, especially considering he just signed an extension in February. The team is also 7-5 and first in the AFC South, putting it on track to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year and the fifth time in six seasons.

Pelissero reported ownership "wasn't happy with the direction of the roster."

The timing is also odd since there isn't much Cowden can do to strengthen the roster. The trade deadline has passed, and most of the best free agents after the regular season opened have found new homes.

The MMQB's Albert Breer reported some people within the organization were "floored" to learn of the firing. The reaction outside of the building is largely the same.

Absent more context, the A.J. Brown trade will likely be perceived as Robinson's fatal error because it's impossible to ignore this was done two days after Brown torched Tennessee's secondary for 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 35-10 win for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tennessee seemed to get a solid return when the trade was done, acquiring the Nos. 18 and 101 overall picks in the 2022 draft. Brown might have wanted out one way or the other considering ESPN's Turron Davenport reported he "requested a trade and cut off all contact with the Titans" weeks before the draft.

In retrospect, Robinson probably should've held firm and not acquiesced to Brown's demand.

That wasn't his only notable personnel misstep, either.

Isaiah Wilson, whom the Titans selected 29th overall in 2020, only made one appearance for the team and is no longer on the roster. Caleb Farley, their first-rounder in 2021, hasn't been much better through his first two years.

Then there are the veteran additions that didn't work out, such as acquiring Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons and signing Malcolm Butler, Jadeveon Clowney and Bud Dupree.

But those moves happened before Robinson got his extension, once again raising the question as to why now was the time to move on.

Based on Wilson's report, Vrabel appears to be safe, so a new general manager won't be tasked with finding a new head coach.

Considering how much work Robinson's successor has to dismantle the roster, Tennessee could be pivoting toward a rebuild.