Titans Firing HC Brian Callahan

The move comes after yet another disappointing loss by the team, this time on the road to the Raiders. Callahan was in only his second season, but there had been almost no signs of tangible progress for the team under his direction. 

Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker released a statement:

“After extended conversations with our owner and general manager, we met with Brian Callahan this morning to tell him we are making a change at head coach. These decisions are never easy, and they become more difficult when they involve people of great character. We are grateful for Brian’s investment in the Titans and Tennessee community during his tenure as head coach. We thank him and his family for being exemplary ambassadors of the Tennessee Titans.

While we are committed to a patient and strategic plan to build a sustainable, winning football program, we have not demonstrated sufficient growth. Our players, fans, and community deserve a football team that achieves a standard we are not currently meeting, and we are committed to making the hard decisions necessary to reach and maintain that standard.”

While the timing might be a slight surprise, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk has a history of dramatic shakeups for less cause, and Callahan’s staff was well aware they were on thin ice. 

The team considered moving on from him last year when it fired former GM Ran Carthon, who signed off on his hire. Neither current GM Mike Borgonzi nor Brinker were part of the process to hire Callahan. 

Callahan had multiple prominent game management errors this year, including not knowing the rules on a catch he failed to challenge in Week 1 and mismanaging the clock to lose a chance for points at the end of the half in Week 3. 

He ceded play-calling duties going into Week 4 to put more of a focus on the overall operation, but the Titans were blanked 26-0 by the Texans as QB coach Bo Hardegree, not OC Nick Holz, called the plays. 

A comeback win against the Cardinals might have staved off the firing by a week, but a mostly non-competitive loss to the Raiders in Week 6 was the final nail in Callahan’s coffin. 

Callahan, 41, began his coaching career as an assistant for the Broncos. He worked his way up to offensive assistant before departing to become the Lions QB coach in 2016.

Callahan had a brief stint with the Raiders before being hired as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator in 2019. He was in that role for five years before the Titans hired him as head coach in 2024. 

In two years with the Titans, Callahan had a record of 4-19 with no playoff appearances. 

We’ll have more on the Titans as the news is available.