And every source can, if the source wants, build up trust over a period of time and then turn it on its head. Former Titans coach Mike Mularkey did just that, nearly six years ago. He recently said on a podcast that he thought he was about to be fired ...

Ian Rapoport does not think it was a laughing matter that he was deliberately misled by former NFL head coach Mike Mularkey. Earlier this week, Mularkey appeared on a sports talk show in Jacksonville and revealed that he called Rapoport,

Given that the news was from the man himself, Rapoport went with the report. The very next day, the Titans fired Mularkey, making Rapoport appear rather foolish.

In six years as an NFL head coach, Mike Mularkey went 36-53, with just one playoff appearance in that span. In all, he was a coach in some capacity for more than two decades, but ultimately retired from the NFL after a brief stint as a tight ends coach with Atlanta in 2019.

After that loss to New England, Mularkey knew he'd be fired. But he told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport he was going to be extended instead. Mularkey spent one more season on the sidelines, coaching the Atlanta Falcons tight ends in 2019, while Tennessee moved on to Mike Vrabel, who took the Titans to the AFC Championship two seasons later.

NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport finally got closure on what he called one of the “biggest mysteries” of his career. Back in 2018, Rapoport erroneously reported that the Tennessee Titans were offering then-head coach Mike Mularkey an extension after the team’s playoff run.