Quick turnarounds are plenty possible in the modern NFL. Just ask New England, Chicago and Jacksonville fans.
The Tennessee Titans are in the market for a new head coach, joined by the New York Giants as teams that have fired coaches midseason. The 1-11 Titans haven’t made much progress since switching gears from former coach Brian Callahan toward interim coach Mike McCoy. The team lost its sixth straight under his supervision on Nov. 30, a 25-3 throttling from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he doesn’t figure to be much of a candidate to be Callahan’s full-time replacement.
As the college coach shuffle hit its peak this weekend, very little of that movement affects the Titans’ search all that much. There were a couple of stray reports that connected former Ole Miss and new LSU coach Lane Kiffin to the Titans’ opening, but he is en route to Baton Rouge. Any other college coach the Titans could be interested in would be eligible to interview with the team at any time, but keep in mind that Callahan’s full-time replacement cannot be hired without satisfying the Rooney Rule, which would require interviewing several external candidates.
The top external candidates, in all likelihood, will come from the NFL. That’s where the examples of Chicago and Jacksonville come into play. The Jaguars, with first-year coach Liam Coen, lead the AFC South with an 8-4 record in his first year after leaving Tampa Bay. And the Bears, who own the NFC’s best record at 9-3, are led by a first-year offensive mind in Ben Johnson, who they hired away from Detroit. These are two teams that ranked among the league’s worst last year that are reaping some immediate benefits.
Then again, there’s New England. The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, the former Titans coach who wasn’t employed as a coach by any team last year, although he did some consultant work in Cleveland. The Patriots didn’t take the up-and-comer approach, and the result is the NFL’s best record at 10-2.
All of this adds up to a quick turnaround possibility for many teams. If the playoffs started today, five teams that missed the postseason last year would be in. That includes not just the teams with first-year coaches, but also the Seattle Seahawks and their second-year coach Mike Macdonald. And don’t forget Dallas (first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer) and Carolina (second-year coach Dave Canales) are knocking on the door of playoff spots, too.
Changing coaches can do wonders. Let’s keep up with what the Titans and the rest of the league are up to with a fresh week of rumors, news and happenings as the NFL coach searches rage on.
Titans coach search updates: Latest news, rumors, NFL happenings
The coaching hires in college tell us a little about the NFL hiring cycle. Most notably, there’s some smoke connecting former Giants coach Brian Daboll to the Penn State opening, which would take an experienced option for head coach and offensive coordinator off the board for the Titans. Kiffin’s move to LSU, as mentioned above, also took away an offensive-minded option.
There’s the matter of certain hot seats cooling and heating. For example: The Miami Dolphins have won three in a row and are suddenly back in the playoff race. That decreases the chances of coach Mike McDaniel being on the market as a head coach or coordinator option, but it increases the value of Dolphins assistants, like Anthony Weaver, who’ve drawn interest in the past. The struggles in Pittsburgh and Kansas City, however, drain some of the luster off candidates like Matt Nagy and Arthur Smith.
Which NFL coaches have been fired?
Two head coaches have been fired so far: Brian Callahan by the Titans and Brian Daboll by the New York Giants.
Which NFL head coaches are on the hot seat?
Arizona’s Jonathan Gannon, Atlanta’s Raheem Morris and Miami’s Mike McDaniel are among the top contenders to be the next coach fired, although McDaniel’s Dolphins have played better as of late.
Other longer-tenured coaches like Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski and Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor also could be on the chopping block as negative results continue to pile up. Las Vegas’ Pete Carroll has been disappointing in Year 1, but it feels a little early to move on from a Super Bowl winning coach.
Who are top NFL coach candidates?
Among offensive coordinators, some of the top candidates include Buffalo’s Joe Brady, Pittsburgh’s Arthur Smith, Kansas City’s Matt Nagy, Washington’s Kliff Kingsbury and Seattle’s Klint Kubiak.
Among defensive coordinators, some of the big names include Houston’s Matt Burke, the Chargers’ Jesse Minter, Green Bay’s Jeff Hafley, Minnesota’s Brian Flores, the Rams’ Chris Shula and San Francisco’s Robert Saleh. Former Dallas and Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy also will be a contender for jobs.
When can NFL teams begin interviewing coaching candidates?
NFL teams may begin conducting interviews with coaches employed by teams that missed the playoffs as soon as their seasons conclude. Coaches employed by playoff teams may participate in virtual initial interviews. Initial interviews with candidates from teams still in the playoffs must conclude by the divisional weekend of the playoffs.
Candidates who are not employed by NFL teams, be they college coaches or coaches between jobs, may interview at any time.
The Rooney Rule requires each team to interview a minimum of two minority, external candidates for jobs such as head coach, general manager and coordinator positions before making a hire.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.