The Tennessee Titans became the first team in search of a new head coach in 2025 when they fired Brian Callahan on Monday, and some candidates have already been linked to the job.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media discussed the Titans’ upcoming head coach search during a Wednesday appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.” Rapoport said he believes the Tennessee job is “desirable” and that the team will look into a mix of experienced candidates and up-and-coming coordinators.
For experienced candidates, Rapoport mentioned former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy, who is currently the offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who made a name for himself as an assistant in Tennessee, is another name to watch.
“A couple that have been mentioned to me, I would say Matt Nagy, who has a close relationship with (Titans GM) Mike Borgonzi. (Nagy is) the OC of the Chiefs, former Coach of the Year, was a good coach with the Bears until he wasn’t and sort of has gone back around and used that experience. I’d say he’d be a name to watch,” Rapoport said. Arthur Smith, a former OC in Tennessee, another former head coach, didn’t have a quarterback in Atlanta, but someone who’s done it.”
Rapoport added that he would expect top assistant coaches like Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to be on the list.
"I would more focus on leading and, you know, who can get the room better as opposed to who is the sort of quarterback guru." 👀@rapsheet on the Titans next head coach.
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 15, 2025
(via @RichEisenShow) pic.twitter.com/UZhzpfdyIS
Many believe the Titans will want to hire an offensive-minded coach in hopes of developing Cam Ward, but Rapoport says Tennessee is not necessarily set on that. Rather, the Titans could prioritize bringing in a strong leader and trying to surround their next coach with the right assistants, like Dan Campbell has done with the Detroit Lions.
The Titans went 3-14 last year and have looked like one of the worst teams in football this season. Still, their head coach vacancy should draw plenty of interest thanks in large part to having a No. 1 overall pick in place at the quarterback position. We saw a similar situation with the Chicago Bears last year, and they landed the top candidate on the head coach market in Ben Johnson.
