Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees announced his retirement on Monday, Titans Online's Jim Wyatt reported.
The 70-year-old defensive coach had with the Titans organization since the 2018 season following an eight-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens, winning a Super Bowl in 2012-13. Pees succeeded defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who served under former head coach Mike Mularkey.
Pees relationship to current head coach Mike Vrabel stretches back to their collective New England Patriots days when Vrabel spent eight seasons as a linebacker for the AFC East franchise while Pees was his linebackers coach before taking the reins as the Patriots' defensive coordinator for four years.
Pees took a Titans defense that was 20th in overall yards allowed to opposing offenses in 2017 under LeBeau to 12th this past season during the 2019 campaign.
Pees' solid backbone for Vrabel's Tennessee defense allowed a second-half resurgence for the offense to get hot at the right time; the Titans went 5-2 in their final seven games, including defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10, to clinch the AFC's second Wild Card spot and overall sixth seed.
The Titans eventually upset two powerhouses in the Patriots during the wild card round and the No. 1 Baltimore Ravens the following week to stun skeptics and earn a place in the AFC Championship Game, which they would lose to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Sunday, failing to get the coveted berth for Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida.
Pees spent over thirty years coaching the college ranks at institutions like Navy and Michigan State before getting the call-up to the pros in 2004 to assist the Patriots. Pees leaves a football career with two Super Bowl rings to his name.
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