Mike Mularkey is out as the coach of the Tennessee Titans a week after getting a public expression of support from the NFL team's owner and following talks on a contract extension.
The Titans become the first team to part ways with a coach after winning a playoff game since the San Francisco 49ers in 2002. The 49ers defeated the New York Giants 39-38 in their playoff opener. But after a 31-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco replaced coach Steve Mariucci with Dennis Erickson.
San Francisco made four playoff appearances in six seasons under Mariucci. After firing him, the 49ers missed the postseason for the next eight years.
Tennessee rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 22-21 in the opening game of the playoffs on Jan. 6 as former Alabama standout Derrick Henry ran for 156 yards.
The Titans' season ended on Saturday with a 35-14 loss to the New England Patriots.
"I want to thank Mike Mularkey for his contributions to our franchise over his tenure with our organization," Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said. "He took over our team during a low moment and together with (general manager) Jon (Robinson) built a solid foundation for our franchise. I appreciated that Mike devoted himself to this team and the community.
"In fact, we did discuss extending his future with our team over the past week, but in those discussions about the direction of the team, it became evident that we saw different paths to achieve greater success.
"It is certainly unfortunate that we couldn't find enough common ground. I generally believe that continuity is the best path for success, but I also view this as an important moment for our football team as we try to make that next step to sustained success on the field. Jon will begin the search immediately to identify that person."
FOR MORE OF AL.COM'S COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
On Jan. 7, Adams Strunk had issued a statement of support for Mularkey "to eliminate any distractions," saying he "will be our head coach moving forward."
Tennessee becomes the fifth NFL team with a head-coaching vacancy, joining the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants.
Mularkey served as the Titans' interim head coach for the final five games of the 2015 season, then guided Tennessee to consecutive 9-7 showings.
In 2016, the Titans finished tied with the Houston Texans for the top spot in the AFC South, but lost the accompanying playoff spot in a tie-breaker. Tennessee finished second in the AFC South to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017, but earned a wild-card spot for the Titans' first postseason trip since the 2008 season.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.