Titans hire Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as head coach

Tennessee found its guy and wasn’t about to let him leave the building.

The Titans hired Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their head coach, the team announced Wednesday.

NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero first reported Tennessee’s plans to hire Callahan on Monday night.

Along with the head coaching news, the Titans also announced the finalization of their football structure. The team added an executive vice president title to Ran Carthon’s general manager duties, and they also promoted Chad Brinker to president of football operations.

Callahan had his second interview with the team Monday and he’s staying put despite having had interviews scheduled with the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers for their vacant head coaching spots, Pelissero added.

Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk and general manager Carthon were looking for a coach to helm a franchise turnaround and Callahan, who’s been part of the Bengals’ about-face over the past three seasons, has been pegged for the task.

In what will be his first NFL head coaching job, the 39-year-old Callahan will succeed Mike Vrabel, who was fired on Jan. 9.

In terms of replacing Callahan, the Bengals have an in-house candidate in quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. However, Cincy will have competition, as Pitcher is scheduled for OC interviews with the Patriots, Raiders and Saints this week, per Rapoport.

Cincinnati’s loss will be Tennessee’s gain, as Callahan departs the Bengals after acting as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2019-2023, which included the team’s Super Bowl appearance in the 2021 season.

Highly regarded for aiding in quarterback Joe Burrow becoming one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, Callahan has likewise been lauded for getting stellar play out of Jake Browning this past season after Burrow was lost to a wrist injury. He’s been around sensational QB play his entire career, as Callahan started as a Denver Broncos coaching assistant in 2010 and had stints with the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders ahead of his Cincinnati arrival. Along the way, he’s been around Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr.

It’s likely Callahan, whose father Bill is a Browns assistant and former Raiders head coach, will now be responsible for bringing along Titans QB Will Levis, a second-round selection who showed promise at the tail end of Tennessee’s 6-11 2023 campaign.

The Titans offense ranked 27th or worse in points scored and yards in each of the last two seasons. Callahan will no doubt look to remedy those ills in quick fashion.

However, he’s also going to be looked at to help shepherd the franchise’s rebuild.

Vrabel was considered by many to be one of the top coaches in the NFL. However, after two straight losing seasons, Strunk wanted a head coach who would be in line with a collaborative approach toward consistent success, as noted by Pelissero.

Callahan will now set forth in lockstep with Carthon and Strunk looking to turn the Titans back into an AFC South power.