Tennessee Titans fire GM Ran Carthon; will retain head coach Brian Callahan

Aerial drone image of Nissan Stadium^ home of Tennessee Titans. NASHVILLE^ TENNESSEE^ USA - AUGUST 1^ 2018

The Tennessee Titans announced on Tuesday that they have fired general manager Ran Carthon after two seasons, after finishing 3-14 this season and earning the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, set for April 24 to 26 in Green Bay, Wis.

The Titans said Brian Callahan will continue as the head coach, and president of football operations Chad Brinker will lead the search for the franchise’s next general manager. Brinker said via the team’s website: “I think the general manager position is unique to their respective organizations. This particular job, what we’ll be looking for is someone who has spent their career as a scout, is a top-flight, top-level evaluator who has spent the majority of their career projecting college players to the National Football League, they’ve had a major hand in setting the draft board in preferably a consistent, winning organization, and you can see their fingerprints all over the roster.”

Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement: “I’ve loved the time I’ve spent with Ran. He’s a talented football mind, a great man, and friend to everyone along his path. It’s impossible to ignore that our football team hasn’t improved over the past two years. I am deeply disappointed in our poor win-loss record during this period, of course, but my decision also speaks to my concern about our long-term future should we stay the course. I love this team more than you can imagine. To our fans: We know this level of performance isn’t acceptable. We’re humbled by your support as we continue to work towards building the team you expect and deserve.”

Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill shared: “We just haven’t improved this football team for the last couple of years. We’ve won nine of the 34 games we’ve played over the past two seasons, and as much as the record was concerning to Amy as it was to all of our fans, her assessment was also that we’re not on course to get where we need to go moving forward. As difficult as these decisions are, she believed it was the right one.”

Carthon previously served as a scout and personnel executive for the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. He was hired as the franchise’s first Black general manager in 2023, following the firing of previous GM Jon Robinson midway through the season.  He was promoted to executive vice president in addition to his general manager title last year, and at the same time promoted Brinker to president of football operations. The Titans went 6-11 in Carthon’s first season with previous head coach Mike Vrabel at the helm, who was fired last January. Over the past two years, Tennessee has a 9-25 record.

Editorial credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock.com

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