Two Years After Titans Fired Him, Mularkey Retires
NASHVILLE – Mike Mularkey’s time as Tennessee Titans head coach was brief but also memorable for two reasons.
It was under his direction in 2017 that the Titans ended their eight-year postseason drought, the franchise’s longest since it relocated to Tennessee in 1997 and the longest overall since it went eight straight from 1970-77.
Plus, he and his staff got more out of quarterback Marcus Mariota than any of the others who have tried over the past five seasons.
Mularkey, 58, announced his retirement from Thursday after one season as tight ends coach with the Atlanta Falcons. His coaching career in the NFL dates back to 1994, when he was a quality control assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He eventually spent time with Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Miami, Atlanta (twice), Jacksonville and Tennessee, mostly as a tight ends coach and/or offensive coordinator.
In addition to the Titans, he also was a head coach with the Bills and Jaguars. His career record was 36-53 but in five full seasons (two with Tennessee, two with Buffalo and one with Jacksonville), his teams finished better than .500 three times.
“I’ve been blessed to do this for a long time and have a lot of great memories from the game I love,” Mularkey said in a release from the Falcons. “I’ve also missed a lot of time with my family who I love and who has supported me so much throughout my career. I am looking forward to spending even more time with them and making even more memories.”
Mularkey joined the Titans in 2014 as tight ends coach under Ken Whisenhunt. He was promoted to interim head coach when Whisenhunt was fired seven games into the 2017 season and led the team to a 34-28 overtime victory at New Orleans in his first game. He won just one of eight the rest of that season but directed Tennessee to back-to-back 9-7 campaigns in 2016 and 2017.
He was 21-22 with Tennessee, including playoffs, which makes him one of seven coaches in franchise history (there have been 19) with at least 20 victories.
In 2016, Mariota set career-highs with 3,426 passing yards, 26 touchdown passes (he threw just nine interceptions) and a 95.6 passer rating. He directed four game-winning drives that season and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November.
In 2017, Tennessee won six of seven from mid-October through the end of November and clinched a playoff berth with a victory over Jacksonville on the final week of the regular season. His team then set an NFL record when it overcame an 18-point halftime deficit and defeated Kansas City 22-21 in a wild card playoff game.
Mularkey was fired days after that season ended with a loss at New England in the divisional round. He did not coach in 2018 before he got back into this season with the Falcons.
A tight end during his playing days, he was a ninth-round pick by San Francisco in 1983 and played nine years (six with Minnesota, three with Pittsburgh).
“When you look back at his 25-year coaching career, you’ll not only see a great coach, but you’ll also see an unbelievable human being and leader,” Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said. “Mike has been a great asset for our organization and for me personally. We wish he and his family well and congratulate him on a well-deserved retirement.”
