The Tennessee Titans have seen enough of the Brian Callahan era.
Callahan has been fired as the head coach of the Titans, the team announced Monday. The move comes a day after the Titans’ 20-10 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, dropping Tennessee to 1-5 on the season.
“While we are committed to a patient and strategic plan to build a sustainable, winning football program, we have not demonstrated sufficient growth,” Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said. “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 was in his second season as the Titans’ head coach, getting hired after a strong tenure as the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator. He went 3-14 in 2024, with the Titans finishing in a three-way tie for the worst record in the league and giving them the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
After using the No. 1 overall pick to draft quarterback Cam Ward, the hope was that Callahan could develop him in the same way he helped mold Joe Burrow to become one of the league’s top quarterbacks. But Callahan also seemed to enter the year on the hot seat, with the Titans making a change at general manager over the offseason. They hired Chiefs executive Mike Borgonzi to replace Ran Carthon, who hired Callahan.
Ward and the Titans’ offense have struggled through the first six games of the season. The rookie has thrown for just 1,101 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions, posting a 67.3 passer rating as Tennessee ranks last in total offense through Sunday’s games.
On top of Ward’s struggles, Callahan was also criticized for his in-game management blunders early in the 2025 season. In the Titans’ 41-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, for instance, Callahan’s indecision on whether to kick a field goal late in the first half led to a six-point swing against Tennessee. The sequence and that game caused “Fire Callahan!” chants at Nissan Stadium.
The Titans’ frustrations continued in Week 4, when they were shut out by the Houston Texans in a 26-0 loss.
“If we keeping it a buck right now, we’re ass,” Ward bluntly told reporters after that game.
The Titans’ move to fire Callahan also comes a week before they’re set to face his predecessor and his new team. Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots travel to Tennessee to take on the Titans with a 4-2 record, rattling off three straight wins and looking like a playoff team. Vrabel went 54-45 in his six seasons as Titans coach, helping Tennessee reach the playoffs three times and winning the AFC South twice.
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