As a result of the recent flurry of stories regarding the possibility that other teams would be interested in Titans coach Jeff Fisher if owner Bud Adams were to decide after the season that it’s time to move on, we decided to refresh our memory regarding the question of whether teams can still acquire the rights to head coaches of other teams in exchange for compensation.
And we’re told that it still can happen.
As NFL spokesman Greg Aiello explained it, the coach’s contract can’t be traded. Instead, the new team would compensate the former team for relinquishing its contractual rights to the head coach.
This means that the Titans can’t assign the last two years of Fisher’s current deal to a new team in exchange for draft picks or cash -- but that the Titans can agree to let Fisher out of his current deal for compensation.
The difference is that Fisher would have to negotiate a new deal with the new team. But, surely, the terms would be at least as favorable as the terms of the prior contract.
And that might be why Titans owner Bud Adams, who has mused about making a change, is now singing a different tune. If Adams fires Fisher, there’s no chance for compensation; if Adams makes it known that he might let Fisher leave for the right price, then Adams would unload Fisher, avoid a buyout, and pick up a little (or maybe a lot) extra by way of draft picks.