Titans execs address status of HC Brian Callahan after firing of GM

The Tennessee Titans' firing of general manager Ran Carthon following the club's 3-14 season understandably left some wondering what's next for head coach Brian Callahan coming off his first campaign with the organization. 

It appears Callahan is safe heading into the start of offseason activities. 

"We believe in Brian, and we think he's going to get there," Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker told ESPN's Turron Davenport. "This wasn't good enough, and Brian knows that. He understands that he and his staff have got to get better and do better."

Callahan built an impressive resume while serving as offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals from 2019-23, as he helped Joe Burrow become a quarterback worthy of receiving MVP votes. However, Callahan was unable to turn Tennessee's Will Levis into a legitimate NFL QB1 before the 2023 second-round draft pick was benched this season. 

"The growing pains from playing second-year quarterback Will Levis last season helped lead to Carthon losing his job," Davenport noted. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Levis ranked 38th in the NFL with a 27.6 adjusted QBR and 31st with an 81.4 passer rating for the campaign. Across 12 games, he tossed 13 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. 

The Titans hold the first overall pick of this year's draft and are expected to acquire either Miami quarterback Cam Ward or Colorado signal-caller Shedeur Sanders via that asset. It sounds like one of those to-be rookies could have a new head coach with the Titans as soon as next winter if Callahan fails to impress throughout the 2025 season. 

"They want to see growth, and they'll support [Callahan] in that growth," Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill told Davenport. "But they're going to hold him accountable."

Unless a quarterback-desperate club makes the Titans a so-called "'Godfather' offer" for pick No. 1, logic suggests how Callahan performs in developing either Ward or Sanders will determine if Tennessee makes a coaching change roughly 12 months from now. Truth be told, that probably was true even before the Titans showed Carthon the door.