The first NFL firing of the season took place Monday. The Tennessee Titans have decided to part ways with second-year head coach Brian Callahan.
The news comes following a 20-10 loss for Titans against the Oakland Raiders in Week 6. Just 15 days ago Tennessee was held scoreless by Houston in a 26-0 rout.
“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,” Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said in a statement Monday. “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.”
Callahan’s offense has been among the biggest issues this season for the Titans. Tennessee is currently last in the league averaging just 232.3 yards per game. Its 13.8 points per game is the second lowest in the NFL with Cleveland (13.7) being the only team to score less through six games.
The Titans have scored more than 20 points just once this season — a 22-21 win over Arizona in Week 5 — and were held under 14 points on three occasions already.
Cincinnati Success Doesn’t Follow Callahan to Tennessee
The Titans hired Callahan in 2024 following a successful five-year stint with Cincinnati. He served as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator during that span where he helped the team reach Super Bowl LVI.
Cincinnati had a top-10 offense in the 2022 season averaging 360.5 yards per game that year. Callahan was the offensive coordinator when the Bengals drafted quarterback Joe Burrow No. 1 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Callahan aimed to recreate the success he had with Burrow in Cincinnati with quarterback Cam Ward in Tennessee. The Titans selected Ward with the first overall pick in April’s draft, but the rookie signal caller from Miami has struggled to find a spark this season.
Ward is currently averaging 183.5 yards pass per game and has thrown more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (3). He has also been sacked 25 times on the year. That is six more times than the second player on the list.
Callahan will finish his time in Tennessee with a 4-19 record as head coach.
What Comes Next For The Titans?
The Titans announced Monday that Mike McCoy will be taking over as the interim head coach while the search for Callahan’s replacement begins. Tennessee hired McCoy as a senior offensive assistant in the spring.
He is now in his 23rd season in the NFL and has prior head coaching experience from his time with the San Diego Chargers. McCoy was the head coach in San Diego from 2013-16 when he led the franchise to a 27-37 record over that span.
Tennessee will be looking for its sixth head coach following Jeff Fisher’s lengthy tenure with the franchise that lasted through 2010. Only Mike Vrabel, who was the AP Coach of the Year in 2021, retained his role for more than three seasons with the Titans.
The franchise will get a head start on finding its next head coach. Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady is one name already being floated as a potential replacement for Callahan.
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, current Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and even current North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick are other names coming up in the immediate aftermath of the firing.