The Tennessee Titans have moved on from general manager Ruston Webster, the team announced Monday. After firing head coach Ken Whisenhunt during the regular season, the Titans want to reboot completely and bring in a new regime.
Titans will search for a new GM after dumping Ruston Webster
Webster will not return for a fifth season as general manager of the Titans.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Webster had previously said that he expected to be in the process of hiring a new head coach after the season ended. In late December, ESPN reported that Webster was on an expiring contract and that an extension had not been reached at the time. Officially, Webster’s contract was not renewed and he wasn’t fired.
Interim head coach Mike Mularkey will interview for the permanent job, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Webster will not be a part of that process.
“Additionally, I would like to thank Ruston Webster for all of his efforts with our franchise, as he is a man of great character and integrity and someone for whom we have tremendous respect,” said owner Amy Adams Strunk in a statement. “Our mission is to become one of the elite franchises in the National Football League, and we have fallen short of this goal in recent years.”
In four seasons as general manager of the Ttians, the team went 18-46, tied with the Oakland Raiders for the second-worst mark in the league over that period. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars ranked worse.
Webster has never been in an ideal situation in Tennessee. He has worked under three different people, and has been above three different head coaches. But he hasn't helped himself with lackluster draft picks like Bishop Sankey, Justin Hunter, Chance Warmack and Zach Brown.
“We share our fans’ frustration about the team’s recent performance, and we are committed to doing everything we can to return our team to a perennial postseason contender,” Strunk said.
Webster has had some hits, like the free agent acquisitions of Delanie Walker and Brian Orakpo, and the team made a bold move by sticking with Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Mariota had a good rookie season and whoever is hired will likely have their immediate future tied to Webster’s selection. That new general manager will have the opportunity and task to pick from every single college player in the draft to build around Mariota too, as the Titans hold the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Webster has also been a scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the vice president of player personnel with the Seattle Seahawks, a team for which he also served as interim general manager before joining the Titans.
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