Jan. 15, 2026, 7:34 p.m. ET

The Tennessee Titans are still searching for their next head coach, and with the news that John Harbaugh was hired by the New York Giants, his meeting with the Titans was cancelled. Harbaugh would have been a solid hire, if the Titans had landed him, but they never got a shot.

He wasn’t the only candidate the Titans had, though. They’ve already completed seven interviews and have more scheduled in the coming weeks. Let’s take a look at the remaining candidates the Titans will consider, ranked in tiers.

Tier 4

Jason Garrett, NBC personality: While he has head coaching experience with the Dallas Cowboys, Garrett hasn’t coached since he was fired by the New York Giants in 2021. He was 85-67 during his 10 years as head coach, but 2-3 in the playoffs.

Steve Spagnuolo, DC, Chiefs: Spags has spent most of his coaching career as a defensive coordinator, with a short stint as head coach of the (then) St. Louis Rams. He’s been with the Kansas City Chiefs since 2019, helping the Chiefs to three Super Bowl victories and multiple playoff appearances.

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Raheem Morris, former HC, Falcons: Morris has been coaching in the NFL since 2002, earning his first head coaching gig with the Tampa By Buccaneers in 2009-2011. His second head coaching role would be with the Falcons from 2024-2025. His record as a head coach is 35-56.

Jonathan Gannon, former HC, Cardinals: Gannon was fired by the Cardinals after his third season as head coach. In his only head coaching role, the Cardinals failed to make the playoffs or record a winning season. His overall record is 15-36.

Tier 3

Brian Daboll, former HC, Giants: Daboll spent eight years as an offensive coordinator before landing the head coaching role with the Giants. Over his four years in New York, Daboll’s Giants were 20-40-1, and 1-1 in the playoffs. The playoff appearance was his first season with the team, but they could not find success again.

Lou Anarumo, DC, Colts: While Anarumo does not have head coaching experience, he has quickly risen up the ranks in the NFL coaching world. He joined the Dolphins in 2012 as their defensive backs coach and was a defensive coordinator by 2019. In 2025, he was instrumental in the team’s 8-2 start before the Colts lost their last seven games.

Kliff Kingsbury, former OC, Commanders: After 10 years as a college coach, Kingsbury was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as head coach. In his four years there, the Cardinals were 28-37 and 0-1 in the playoffs. He returned to the college scene in 2023 before joining the Washington Commanders as offensive coordinator in 2024. The two sides mutually parted following the Commanders’ five-win season in 2025.

Jeff Hafley, DC, Packers: Another coach who has spent more time at the collegiate level than the professional level, Hafley’s defense ranked 10th in the NFL in passing this season. The run defense was mediocre, especially after Micah Parsons was injured. He has not been a head coach at the professional level.

Tier 2

Matt Nagy, OC, Chiefs: Nagy already has ties to Tennessee through Mike Borgonzi, as the two worked together in Kansas City for a number of years. He also has previous head coaching experience with the Chicago Bears, where he was 34-31 but couldn’t get past the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Chris Shula, DC, Rams: Shula’s name alone carries weight as he comes from a family of storied coaches, including his grandfather, Don Shula. He’s worked his way up the ranks in the Los Angeles Rams‘ organization as a defensive guy, and while he’s not held a head coaching position, coming from the Sean McVay coaching tree certainly doesn’t hurt.

Jesse Minter, DC, Chargers: Minter has not held a head coaching role in his career. He had a brief stint with the Baltimore Ravens in various defensive roles, but most of his experience is collegiate. He joined the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, following Jim Harbaugh from Michigan, where the two worked together since 2019.

Vance Joseph, DC, Broncos: Joseph is a defensive guy who had a two-year stint as head coach of the Denver Broncos. The Broncos were 5-11 and 6-10 in his first two seasons, leading to his firing. However, his current defense was one of the top in the NFL in 2025, which is partly why the Broncos are still in the playoffs.

Tier 1

Robert Saleh, DC, 49ers: Saleh’s one stint as a head coach was with the New York Jets, and we won’t hold that against him. He was 20-36 as head coach of the Jets, but the Jets haven’t been relevant since Rex Ryan left, so there’s a bit of a caveat there. His 49ers defense is still in the playoffs in 2025, so he’s doing something right.

Mike McDaniel, former HC, Dolphins: One of the few offensive-minded coaches in the running, McDaniel was 35-33 and 0-2 in the playoffs as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, but his experience in developing Tua Tagovailoa will be instrumental in the development of Cam Ward. He remains a top contender in Tennessee.

Mike McCarthy, former HC, Cowboys: McCarthy is a veteran head coach with 18 years of head coaching experience. He spent 13 years with the Green Bay Packers, where they made nine playoff appearances and won a Super Bowl, and five years with the Dallas Cowboys. His overall record is 174-112-2. He only had five losing seasons and one season at .500, while the rest show a winning record.

Kevin Stefanski, former HC, Browns: Stefanski’s head coaching record is 45-56 and 1-2 in the playoffs. But he took the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs after a 17-year absence. He was saddled with a ridiculous quarterback situation, among other things, so we’ll put him in the same category as Saleh and not hold that against him. The offense struggled for several reasons, but the Browns’ defense ranked near the top of the league in several categories in 2025. He is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year.

Arthur Smith, OC, Steelers: Smith entered the NFL in 2011 as a defensive quality control coach in 2011. He remained with the team through 2020 and was part of three playoff runs. As head coach of the Falcons in 2021-2023, he was 21-30 with zero playoff appearances. The Steelers have made the playoffs for the last two seasons, but lost in the Wild Card round each time.

The Titans have a ton of options at head coach. Some are better than others, and most of us would like to see a combination of these names join the organization for a complete reset.