NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — AUGUST 22: Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan stands on the sidelines during a Preseason Week 3 game against the Minnesota Vikings (Photo credits: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

NASHVILLE, Tn. — The Tennessee Titans are parting ways with second-year head coach Brian Callahan after the team’s 1-5 start to the 2025 NFL season, per NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

Callahan, 41, ended his tenure in Tennessee with a record of 4-19, the worst winning percentage by a Titans head coach since Ken Whisenhunt in 2014-2015.

“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.

“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,” Brinker said.

Callahan, the former offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, was brought in following the firing of longtime Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.

The Titans finished the 2024 NFL season with a 3-14 record under Callahan.

Tennessee has lost five of its first six games to start the year, with their only victory coming in an extremely tight game with the Arizona Cardinals that very easily could have been a Titans loss had running back Emari Demercado not dropped the ball before the end zone for Arizona in the 3rd quarter.

Tennessee did not name an interim head coach in their initial press release announcing Callahan’s departure.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — SEPTEMBER 21: Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan talks with Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward #1 during a Week 3 game against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium (Photo credits: Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

The Titans selected star quarterback Cam Ward out of Miami with the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Ward now marks the fourth 1st-overall quarterback since 2021 to see their head coach fired during their rookie season.

Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars saw Urban Meyer fired, Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers saw Frank Reich fired, Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears saw Matt Eberflus fired, and now Ward sees his head coach depart.

Through the first six weeks of the season, the Titans ranked dead last in offensive yards per game and ranked second-to-last in passing yards per game.

Reports suggest that Titans ownership had no intention to make an in-season change and wanted Callahan to finish the season. However, the putrid offensive play, the team’s early record, and no signs of improvement caused the team to part ways with its struggling head coach.

This move should come as a shock to nobody, however.

HOUSTON, TEXAS — SEPTEMBER 28: Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan reacts on the sideline during a Week 4 game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium (Photo credits: Tim Warner/Getty Images)

In recent years, the Titans have developed a habit of firing coaches and executives shortly after hiring them.

In January 2023, Tennessee hired 49ers Director of Player Personnel Ran Carthon as their general manager after firing Jon Robinson in December 2022.

The team then fired longtime head coach Vrabel in January 2024, following the team’s 6-11 record in the 2023 NFL season.

The Titans hired Callahan from Cincinnati shortly after, intending on him being Vrabel’s long-term replacement.

Things took a turn in Tennessee when the team fired Carthon, the general manager, ahead of the 2025 NFL season, about two years after hiring him.

They replaced Carthon with Kansas City Chiefs Assistant General Manager Mike Borgonzi, hiring him as the team’s general manager in January 2025.

Now, Tennessee fires Callahan just 22 months after bringing him in.

Tennessee’s disastrous turnover since the departure of Mike Vrabel has been evident in their coaching transactions and their play on the football field.

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS — SEPTEMBER 07: New England Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel looks on in a Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium (Photo credits: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Vrabel will be in town for the New England Patriots’ Week 7 contest with the Titans.

It will be Vrabel’s first time returning to Tennessee since his departure following the 2023 NFL season.

Instead of facing his replacement, Callahan, Vrabel and his Patriots will now face an interim head coach, who has yet to be named.

In his first six games as head coach of the Patriots, Vrabel has won four games, the same total as Callahan in his 23 games as head coach of the Titans.

Tennessee finished the 2024 NFL season with the 7th-lowest offensive yards per game and the 6th-lowest points scored per game.

The team got nothing going offensively and this season was no different.

Callahan shifted play calling duties to Quarterbacks Coach Bo Hardegree in hopes of sparking the offense and saving his job, but to no avail.

The club’s poor finish in the 2024 season made it clear that it was only a matter of time until Callahan would get the boot.

Tennessee is now back to the drawing board and will search for another head coach with the goal of finally finding stability.

DENVER, COLORADO — SEPTEMBER 07: Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward #1 looks on during a Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field (Photo credits: Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

As for Tennessee’s prized possession, Ward, he will continue to make the best of his rookie season despite coaching woes.

Ward has shown flashes of excellence despite what the statistics may say.

Much of Ward’s early struggles can be chalked up to poor leadership of an inefficient offense that has given him little help.

Ward’s top receiver, Calvin Ridley, has a 15.8 drop percentage, good for 11th-worst among wide receivers with at least 10 targets this season, per Pro Football Focus.

The Titans’ offensive line ranks bottom five in PFF’s offensive line pass blocking efficiency metric (79.6), with only the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, and Cleveland Browns ranking worse.

Ward is also receiving minimal help on the ground as Titans top running back Tony Pollard is averaging 3.9 yards per rush attempt this season, which ranks 27th among running backs with at least 40 rush attempts.

Tennessee’s offensive inefficiencies could have been the product of Callahan’s coaching.

Only time will tell.

One takeaway from this transaction, though, is that Ward needs more time to develop under the strong leadership of a new head coach.

The Titans are committed to improving the offense and the state of the team for the Tennessee community that has not seen a playoff appearance since the 2021 NFL season.

“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,” Brinker said in a statement.

Brinker and the Titans’ front office will now need to choose an interim head coach to close out the remainder of Ward’s rookie season.

Potential candidates to temporarily fill in for Tennessee’s head coaching duties include Senior Offensive Assistant Mike McCoy, Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel, and Defensive Coordinator Dennard Wilson.

The team could also elect to elevate Offensive Line Coach Bill Callahan, father of Brian, to assume head coaching duties.

Whoever is chosen to fill Callahan’s role temporarily, the goal of the Titans organization for the future seems clear: fix the offense and build around Ward.