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Turron DavenportESPN
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Titans announced Tuesday that general manager Jon Robinson has been relieved of his duties.
Robinson was informed of his firing by Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk on Tuesday morning.
The move comes two days after Tennessee suffered an embarrassing 35-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in which former Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was traded to Philadelphia in the offseason, scored two touchdowns.
“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,” Adams Strunk said in a statement.
“I want to thank Jon for his dedicated work to set this organization on an upward trajectory and I wish him and his family the best.”
Brown was dealt from the Titans to the Eagles on the first night of the draft in April for the Nos. 18 and 101 overall picks. The trade was contingent on a new contract extension — something Brown and the Titans could not come to terms on. Philadelphia signed him to a four-year, $100 million deal that includes $57 million guaranteed that night.
The move comes with the Titans atop the AFC South standings with a 7-5 record and coming off back-to-back division titles.
Robinson had signed an extension with the Titans, along with coach Mike Vrabel, in February.
During his tenure as general manager, Robinson drafted 29 players, two of whom, running back Derrick Henry and safety Kevin Byard, have made Pro Bowls. Since then, three of Robinson’s free agent/trade acquisitions have also made Pro Bowls, those being running back DeMarco Murray, safety Brynden Trawick for special teams and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Only two of the seven first-round selections Robinson made since taking over as the general manager in 2016 are on the current roster. Up to this point, none of his selections have made it to a second contract with the Titans. That will likely change with 2019 first-round pick Jeffery Simmons.
The Titans said that Ryan Cowden, the club’s vice president of player personnel, will oversee player personnel for the rest of the season. Cowden originally joined the franchise in 2016 as the director of player personnel, and he was promoted to his current role in 2018.
Robinson helped lead the Titans to a winning record in all six-plus of his seasons in charge. In that time, Robinson became the second-winningest general manager in franchise history with 69 wins (including playoffs), trailing only Floyd Reese (111 wins).
ESPN’s Tim McManus contributed to this report.
