The Tennessee Titans have undergone a tremendous facelift during the 2025 offseason in an attempt to turn their fortunes around.
Armed with a new general manager in Mike Borgonzi and a retooled roster, head coach Brian Callahan has a chance to prove he is up to the task of rebuilding the Titans into contenders. But, per a report from ESPN, this opportunity almost never happened.
Jeremy Fowler and Turron Davenport reveal that when Tennessee decided to part ways with general manager Ran Carthon in January, there were conversations about Callahan’s future and whether or not the team should completely start over after such a disappointing campaign.
There was consideration given to completely cleaning house and sending Callahan on his way, along with Carthon, multiple Titans sources confirmed. Callahan and Carthon had a close relationship, and having the No. 1 pick gave Tennessee the opportunity to bring in a new general manager, coach, and rookie quarterback at the same time.
But the front office took an honest look at the talent on the roster and factored that into Callahan’s record in his first season. The front office didn’t lose sight of Callahan being one of the league’s in-demand coaching candidates when the Titans hired him.
“We wanted to give him that opportunity to grow as a head football coach,” Brinker told ESPN. “We felt like another year to grow into that, and we’re going to need to see that growth. We believe in Brian, and we think he’s going to get there. That’s why he was retained.”
The Titans are a young team, and there are still many questions that must be answered. But the biggest question may be whether Callahan is the right person to lead them into the future. So far, Callahan has seemed to embrace this second chance and has changed many facets of the Titans’ offseason program and training camp.
Callahan has focused more on accountability, culture, and team building, while bringing along rookie quarterback Cam Ward to lead the team into the future. Early indications seem to be positive, but unfortunately, the final results aren’t in, and it won’t be until the regular season kicks off to see if any of these changes have truly made a difference.
With preseason winding down and final roster cuts on the horizon, one thing is certain: Callahan’s seat is getting warmer with every passing day. The NFL is a results-oriented league, and the Titans must show improvement, or Callahan will join the likes of Frank Reich and Matt Eberflus and not have a chance to fully grow with their young franchise quarterback.