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Titans, Mike Mularkey mutually agree to part ways

Mularkey was entering the final year of a three-year contract.

The morning after Titans coach Mike Mularkey was offered a contract extension, he and the team have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Monday.

"I want to thank Mike Mularkey for his contributionsto our franchise over his tenure with our organization," Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a written statement on the team website. "He took over our team during a low moment and together with Jon 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.”

Mularkey was entering the final year of a three-year contract.

The Titans finished with a 9-7 regular season record for the second consecutive season, reached the playoffs for the first time in nine years and won a postseason game for the first time in 14 years.

But the season largely fell short of expectations, in and outside of the team’s headquarters.

The Titans squandered an opportunity to win the AFC South because of a late-season three-game losing streak.

Marcus Mariota regressed in several major offensive categories, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns.

And running back DeMarco Murray, who led the AFC in rushing yards in 2016, had the worst season of his career.

Reach Jason Wolf at jwolf@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter at @JasonWolf and on Instagram and Snapchat at TitansBeat.

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