After the GM fired, Brian Callahan pushed to turn around the 3-14 Titans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two years ago when former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon walked into the team facility for the first time, he was greeted by a standing ovation led by controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk, they celebrated , which is said to be a chance to bring new ideas and ways of doing things.

Titans coach Brian Callahan was hired by Carthon last year to help execute the plan. With Carthon fired, Callahan must show he can improve on his 3-14 record last season to avoid the same fate.

That organization fired former coach Mike Mularkey after leading the 2017 Titans to the divisional round of the playoffs. Former general manager Jon Robinson was fired while the team led the AFC South with a 7-5 record in 2022. Former coach Mike Vrabel was fired last year despite his 54-45 record being the second-best in franchise history.

Will Callahan get a chance to see the process through?

“They want to see growth and they want to support (Callahan) in that growth,” Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill told ESPN. “But they will hold him accountable.”

Callahan said several times when asked about his job status that he would “keep showing up” and “be ready to roll and hit the offseason.” He’s looking forward to “getting back to his roots” by delving into the scouting process, as he did when he was offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Like his first offseason with the Bengals, which produced Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow, Callahan will be on the lookout for possibly the Titans’ next franchise quarterback. That starts with attending the college All-Star games, including the East-West Shrine Bowl, which features Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He will also be at the Senior Bowl to see Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Both are strong candidates for the first election.

A new vision has emerged for the organization almost two years later.

“We want to be a draft, develop and retain organization,” Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker told ESPN. “The foundation of our roster will be built through the draft, and we need to be able to focus on developing players. Once they are developed, we need to identify our core players and best players and reward them. , and we keep them.”

There is an understanding that the “Draft, Develop, Maintain” vision will take time to produce results. Despite finishing with a 3-14 record in his first season as coach, Callahan has the trust of the front office.

“We believe in Brian and we believe he will get there,” Brinker said. “This wasn’t good enough and Brian knows it. He understands that he and his staff have to get better and do better.”

Brinker emphasized the importance of stockpiling draft currency, especially picks within the top 100. The Titans currently have the No. 1 overall pick followed by a high second-round pick. They are without a third-round pick that was sent to the Kansas City Chiefs for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.

The organization will emphasize prospects with “size and speed who love to win more than anything else.” Once the prospects are added to the team, Callahan and his staff will be called upon to develop them into core roster players.

Brinker wants the coaching staff to give the younger players the opportunity to gain valuable experience despite the growing pains that come with the process. But growing pains from playing sophomore quarterback Will Levis last season helped lead to Carthon losing his job.

Nihill, speaking on behalf of Adams-Strunk, said the organization needed to reassess the experience and skills of the general manager position to go from a three-win team to a championship football team. Therefore, she decided to move on from Carthon. Brinker will spearhead the search for the next general manager.

“The primary responsibility of the general manager will be overseeing the personnel, the coaching staff, releasing agency strategy and draft strategy and integrating coaching into the process of all of that,” Brinker said.

While the next general manager will have a key role in the organization, Brinker said he will have the final say in all football decisions.