Did A.J. Brown's huge game just lead to wild Titans firing? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Tennessee Titans are 7-5, still sit in first place in the AFC South, and because of their abysmal division are almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs this year. It would mark the Titans' fourth straight postseason appearance and fifth in six years.
Yet on Tuesday, two days after getting obliterated by the NFL-best Philadelphia Eagles, the Titans fired general manager Jon Robinson.
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Robinson joined the Titans in 2016 and oversaw six straight winning seasons - and was potentially en route to a seventh - but it seems Tennessee's leadership is looking for something else.
Did this have any connection to former Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown absolutely torching the franchise in his first game against his old team, and then saying afterwards that he wanted to beat Tennessee because he told them he wanted to retire a Titan and then got traded?
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I mean... the timing sure is curious.
You don't often see winning teams sack their general managers. If Tennessee really thought Robinson had run his course as a GM, I can't see why they wouldn't just wait until the end of the year. The Titans have kind of hit their ceiling with the current talent and the contracts of Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry make maneuvering a little difficult, so the move wouldn't be out of left field.
But mid-season?!
Maybe Titans leadership will give a suitable explanation, but I'd imagine it'll mainly be lip service to cover up the fact that they got embarrassed by a former player and Robinson was the man who made the trade.
Brown, 25, is well on his way to the best season of his still-young career. He has 61 catches for 950 yards and nine touchdowns in just 12 games. He's nine catches, 125 yards, and two touchdowns away from tying his career highs from 2020 when he was named to the Pro Bowl. Considering Brown just caught eight passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns vs. Tennessee, it's a pretty dang safe bet he's going to set career-best marks before the regular season is out.
No matter how you slice it, it's a rough look for the Titans organization. Thanks a bunch for shipping a world-class wideout to Philly before you exited, Jon!
