By TERESA M. WALKER
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans fired former De La Salle quarterback Brian Callahan on Monday after a 1-5 begin to his second season, making him the primary NFL head coach ousted this season.
Chad Brinker, the Titans’ president of soccer operations, stated staff officers had prolonged conversations with controlling proprietor Amy Adams Strunk and basic supervisor Mike Borgonzi earlier than assembly with Callahan on Monday morning to inform him that Tennessee was making a change.
“While we are committed to a patient and strategic plan to build a sustainable, winning football program, we have not demonstrated sufficient growth,” Brinker stated in an announcement. “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.”
The Titans didn’t instantly say who could be the interim coach. They host former Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel and his New England Patriots (4-2) on Sunday.
Callahan went 4-19, which featured a 10-game skid. The previous backup quarterback for nationwide energy De La Salle, Callahan’s father is former Oakland Raiders head coach Invoice Callahan, the Titans’ offensive line coach.
He turns into simply the second coach fired through the season by this franchise since relocating to Tennessee in 1997, becoming a member of Ken Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt had a 3-20 file when fired in November 2015, with a stint that additionally included a 10-game skid to finish the 2014 season.
The Titans had stated they needed to see enchancment this season with Callahan going into his second season as a first-time head coach and with a rookie quarterback in Cam Ward. But Callahan needed to hand off play-calling duties after dropping to 0-3 and the offense struggling.
Even the change in play-caller didn’t assist.
The Titans have scored solely 83 factors and are averaging 3.94 yards per play. Solely the 2019 Jets, the 2018 Payments in Josh Allen’s rookie 12 months, the 2009 Browns, the 2009 Raiders in JaMarcus Russell’s final season and the 2007 49ers have scored fewer than 84 factors and 4 yards per play by way of six video games up to now 20 seasons.
Of the 241 NFL coaches who’ve coached a minimum of 20 video games or extra for the reason that NFL-AFL merger in 1970, Callahan ranks 237th with a .174 successful proportion. The one coaches with worse successful percentages had been Jim Ringo (.130), Marty Mornhinweg (.156), Chris Palmer (.156) and Rod Dowhower (.172).
The Titans knew that this may be a rebuilding 12 months, and Brinker stated firstly of coaching camp that enchancment was the one signal they had been searching for. They’ve performed a minimum of seven rookies in every sport this season, led by Ward, the No. 1 draft choose.
Callahan was employed in January 2024 for his work with quarterbacks together with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, additionally a No. 1 choose, in 2020.
However Ward is the most-sacked quarterback within the NFL, with 25 already, together with a pair of video games with six sacks every, following a 20-10 loss to the Raiders.
This marks the fourth time in 5 years {that a} staff that picked a quarterback with the No. 1 choice fired the coach through the season.
Callahan joins Matt Eberflus (Chicago, 2024), Frank Reich (Carolina, 2023) and City Meyer (Jaguars, 2021) in that group. Hue Jackson was additionally fired by Cleveland in 2018 and former Titans coach Jeff Fisher by the Rams in 2016 in the identical scenario.
Initially Revealed: October 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM PDT
