Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan exits the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Titans Explain Brian Callahan Firing

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 15, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Tennessee Titans are moving forward with Mike McCoy as their interim head coach after firing Brian Callahan, who coached just 23 games with the franchise.

Callahan's firing came less than 24 hours after the Titans lost 20-10 against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker explained why the team chose to go in a different direction.

"We were looking for growth in this football team, and that is what this is about right now," Brinker said via team reporter Jim Wyatt. "We are not seeing enough growth from this football team. We are 1 and 5, and we have to be better. We are all frustrated. We understand that the fans are frustrated with everything that is going on."

"But we are doing everything we can, and will do everything we can, to build a football program that you can be proud of."

While he struggled to perform for the Titans, Brinker was thankful for Callahan for his work in helping the team grow.

"The NFL is a good business, but at the same time it's a tough and unforgiving business," Brinker said.

"There are days where this game brings us great joy, and there are also days where it is tough, and today is one of those days. Brian Callahan is a man of high character. He's a good man, and he's a good football coach. He has a wonderful family. Amy has entrusted me to make tough decisions in this organization, and working with Mike and I, and meeting with her this morning, and talking through all of this, we just felt like this was the right time to make a change."

The Titans won in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, but it took a serious of unfortunate events from their opponent in order to make that happen. The consistent losing without true progress hurt Callahan's spot within the organization.

Now, the team is looking for McCoy to do a better job than what Callahan was able to do.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Brian, as a person, and as a coach in this league," Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said. "We are looking for growth right now, and we did not see that at this point. But he's an excellent coach, person, and I wish him the best moving forward.

"What Mike (McCoy) brings right now is experience, leadership. He has done it before, and I've had respect for Mike for a long time. We have full confidence in Mike, that he is going to be able to steer the ship here."

The hope for the Titans is they can move swiftly past this and get back on track. While the playoffs are almost certainly out of the question for this season, the Titans can put some better football on tape in hopes of winning a few games and building momentum for the future.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: