Mike Vrabel, who led the Tennessee Titans to some of the highest highs in franchise history in an up-and-down tenure as coach, is out of a job after weeks of reported friction between Vrabel and first-year general manager Ran Carthon and differences in philosophy with controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk on how to proceed into the future, the franchise announced Tuesday.

The Titans fired Vrabel after six seasons, ending a run that featured three playoff appearances, two AFC South titles, an AFC Championship Game appearance and the 2021 NFL Coach of the Year award. The Titans were 54-45 in the regular season under Vrabel, making him the third-winningest coach in franchise history, including the Houston Oilers era.

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"This decision was as difficult as any I’ve made as Controlling Owner," Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement, later adding, "I will never shy away from acknowledging that I have unapologetically high expectations for the football team and every aspect of the Titans organization. Our vision is not simply to produce more wins than losses, it is to regularly compete for championships."

Why the Tennessee Titans moved on from Mike Vrabel

A source close to the situation informed The Tennessean that Adams Strunk's decision to fire Vrabel was reflective of NFL-wide trends relating to collaboration between front offices and coaching staffs. Using teams such as the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles as examples, the source said Vrabel's philosophy didn't match Adams Strunk's vision of the franchise's future.

Though the source said they never observed friction between Vrabel and Carthon, saying the two "got along fine," the decision did relate to Vrabel's philosophy that aligns more with the New England Patriots' model, where one person has a majority of the decision-making power. Vrabel, who played in the NFL from 1997 to 2010, was with the Patriots from 2001 to 2008, where he won three Super Bowl championships.

The decision to move on from Vrabel early instead of prolonging the process in search of trade partners is related to the timeline of events for the coaching interview cycle.

The Titans held meetings Monday and Tuesday discussing the future of the franchise, leading to Tuesday's decision.

Mike Vrabel history

Vrabel's two playoff wins — both of them upset road victories in the 2019 season as the Titans advanced to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 35-24 — also have him tied for third-most by a coach in franchise history.

Despite the peaks from 2019 to 2021, Vrabel's teams turned sour in his final two seasons. After starting 7-3 in 2022, the Titans disappeared down the stretch, losing seven straight and missing the playoffs. Life didn't get much easier in the 2023 season as they finished 6-11, their worst record since 2015. Dating to the start of their losing streak in 2022, they mustered one win away from Nashville and went 1-8 against AFC South foes.

"While this season was disappointing, I see early signs of progress taking shape," Adams Strunk said. "Last year we added a promising young quarterback and several other talented players to our roster. With a coaching search, enviable cap space, and top-10 draft position, this offseason is as important as any in our history. I’m excited for the weeks and months ahead. We will meet the moment."

Mike Vrabel's Tennessee Titans coaching record

Vrabel — a three-time Super Bowl champion as a player — never led the Titans to the highs he experienced. The Titans lost their last three playoff games under Vrabel, including two one-and-done eliminations at Nissan Stadium after winning the division. The 2021 Titans earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs but squandered it with a 19-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.

Vrabel was the first coach to lead the Titans/Oilers franchise to three straight playoff appearances since Jack Pardee did it in the early 1990s.

Horrendous injury luck was a major story of Vrabel's tenure. Even his best Titans teams rarely fielded full squads. The 2021 Titans set the NFL record for most players used in a season, as Vrabel orchestrated a 12-5 finish despite myriad significant injuries, most notably when running back Derrick Henry missed the final nine games of the regular season.

The 2022 and 2023 Titans weren't much luckier; quarterback Ryan Tannehill missed most of the second half of the 2022 season with an ankle injury and the offense collapsed without him, while the 2023 Titans had 16 players on injured reserve heading into Week 18.

Vrabel's replacement will become just the sixth person to serve as head coach since the Titans moved to Nashville. That list also includes Jeff Fisher (1994-2010), Mike Munchak (2011-13), Ken Whisenhunt (2014-15) and Mike Mularkey (2015-17).

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans fire coach Mike Vrabel after back-to-back losing seasons