Titans fire coach Ken Whisenhunt; Mike Mularkey named interim coach

The Tennessee Titans have fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt and named assistant coach Mike Mularkey interim coach.

The Tennessee Titans have fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt and named assistant coach Mike Mularkey interim coach, the team announced Tuesday.

In two years as the Titans’ coach, Whisenhunt led the team to a 3–20 record. This season, Tennessee has only one win through seven games and has not won since the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“After thoughtful consideration, the decision has been made to relieve Ken Whisenhunt of his head coaching duties,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. “We have expected more progress on the field, and I felt it was time to move in a different direction. I would like to thank Ken for his efforts with our team, as he worked very hard to try to move us forward.”

Wisenhunt issued the following statement:

“My family and I are grateful for our time in Nashville and my opportunity to work for the Titans. I am sorry we weren't able to get it done in our time here. Our players and staff were great to work with and I want to thank them for their dedication and hard work. I also want to thank the fans for their support and I wish the organization success moving forward.”

After finishing with a league-worst 2–14 record in 2014, the Titans were awarded the No. 2 pick in the 2014 NFL draft, which they used to select quarterback Marcus Mariota. Despite the excitement surrounding Mariota, Tennessee’s offense is currently ranked 31st in the NFL. The Titans have especially struggled to rally the offense in Mariota’s absence, as the Titans scored just 13 points over the last two games while Mariota sat out with an MCL sprain.

Whisenhunt signed a five-year contract with Tennessee in January 2014.

Mularkey has coached in the NFL for more than 20 years, including two years as the head coach for the Buffalo Bills and one at the helm of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Titans will play the New Orleans Saints in Week 9.

- Erin Flynn