Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk, second left, listens as Cam Ward fields questions from the media after being introduced as the Tennessee Titans first-round pick – and overall number one pick – in the NFL Draft at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, April 25, 2025. Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Titans' HC Interview Timeline Revealed

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Jan 3, 2026 10:00 AM ET

Knowing they've been ruled out of the playoffs for weeks at this point, it comes as no surprise that the Tennessee Titans are trying to get things moving with their search for a new head coach.

Tennessee is in a similar position as the New York Giants and those two teams are expected to interview many of the same candidates.

Obviously, they can't interview some until their teams are knocked out of the playoffs. The Athletics' Dianna Russini discussed where these two teams are at, and she expects formal interview requests to be sent out on January 5.

Once Week 18 comes to an end, it's off to the races for Tennessee. The Titans have a ton of names in mind, but the official interview process is expected to take off sooner rather than later.

Titans Could Begin Interviews on January 5

The final week of the regular season is upon us. This is what I’m hearing on:

- The coaching carousel
- Assistants garnering interest
- Zac Taylor’s future
- The Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy plans
- A loaded Coach of the Year racehttps://t.co/umvZZLtpZF
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 3, 2026

After they end their season in Jacksonville, it'll be all business for Tennessee. There's no doubt the team is looking to go out on a high note, and interim head coach Mike McCoy must know at this point he has no chance of returning.

Russini wrote, "The two franchises already with openings, the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans, will begin remote interviews next week with candidates whose teams are out of the playoffs, with formal interview requests set to be submitted Monday."

"Each team has a list of 10 to 15 potential candidates, though not all are expected to make it to the interview stage. In-person interviews can officially begin Jan. 19."

Titans Search Begins to Narrow

pic.twitter.com/sF5iHNv3gD
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) January 2, 2026

Titans fans can't get too excited when they schedule someone for an interview as there are still a ton of steps remaining in the process. Not only do they have to worry about the Giants, but teams like the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins may also have head coach openings sooner rather than later.

Tennessee has always been one step ahead in this process, so they should have a clear plan laid out for the following week. Russini pin-pointed three names in particular to watch out for next week, "Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury."

Kingsbury's name is relatively new to the interview cycle while Nagy has long been linked to Tennessee. Anarumo is the only defensive coordinator listed in this original trio, but there are four more on the way once their teams are eliminated from the playoffs.

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

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