News Titans Team Notes

[Tennessee Titans]

Mike Tomlin steps down as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Mike Tomlin era is over with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He informed the team today that he is stepping down as the head coach. He reportedly has multiple offers to do TV. It remains to be seen if he will coach in 2026.

This, of course, is of interest to us here because the Tennessee Titans are currently looking for their next head coach. Mike Borgonzi should at least make a call to Tomlin to see if he is interested in coaching here. Tomlin coached the Steelers for 19 years and never had a losing season. He was 201-126-2, including the playoffs during his time in Pittsburgh.

One caveat here is that Tomlin was not fired. He stepped down. That means the Steelers retain his coaching rights. They would have to agree to let him coach another team or trade him for him to coach in 2026. It sounds like he will do TV for at least the 2026 season.

There are probably a lot of Steelers fans who are excited that Tomlin is leaving. They are sick of making the playoffs every year and losing in the first round. I don’t know about you, but sign me up for a coach who is able to achieve that type of consistency.

The thing that has really capped the ceiling for the Steelers over the last few years is the quarterback. The Titans have an exciting young quarterback. That has to at least pique Tomlin’s curiosity.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...teps-down-as-coach-of-the-pittsburgh-steelers

 

[Tennessee Titans]

John Harbaugh expected to interview with Titans by the end of the week

This has been the craziest NFL coaching cycle that we have ever seen. You don’t often see two coaches who are on the track to be in the Hall of Fame leave their jobs in the same year. That has happened this year with the Baltimore Ravens firing John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin stepping down from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tomlin is not expected to coach in 2026. He still has two years left on his contract with the Steelers, so he would have to be acquired via trade if he were going to coach somewhere else in 2026 or 2027. Harbaugh, however, is the most sought-after candidate of the cycle.

Harbaugh will have his pick of the available jobs. According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, he has narrowed his focus down to three jobs – the Atlanta Falcons, the New York Giants, and your Tennessee Titans. Pelissero also said that Harbaugh is expected to interview with those three teams by the end of the week.

Former Ravens coach John Harbaugh continues to gather information on potential destinations, and the expectation is he’ll interview with the Giants, Titans and Falcons by the end of the week.

Other teams remain interested. But those three appear to have the inside track. pic.twitter.com/qC4z1iwWYN

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 14, 2026

There have been various reports out there about which job Harbaugh prefers, but the big news here is that the Titans are in the mix for his services. That means he liked what he saw when he spent the weekend watching Cam Ward.

For as bad as the Titans’ roster is, the job is pretty attractive. You have a good, young quarterback, a ton of cap space, and the number four pick in the draft.

This is a rare case where the potential coach is interviewing the teams more than the other way around. Hopefully, Mike Borgonzi and company are ready to roll out the red carpet whenever Harbaugh comes to Nashville.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...-interview-with-titans-by-the-end-of-the-week

 

[Tennessee Titans]

Titans to meet with John Harbaugh at his home tomorrow

Well, John Harbaugh did leave the New York Giants without agreeing to become their next head coach. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he is not scheduled to travel to any other facilities to meet with teams. It can’t be a good sign that he isn’t going anywhere else.

Dianna Russini is reporting that the Tennessee Titans’ decision makers will travel to Harbaugh’s home to meet with him tomorrow. The presentation they can put together for Harbaugh would certainly play better in Nashville. Hopefully, that Cam Ward tape he watched can make up the difference.

Russini also points out that, with the Giants having satisfied the Rooney Rule, Harbaugh can decide to take their offer at any point, and the process will be over. The Titans have also satisfied the Rooney Rule, so maybe they can just refuse to leave his house without him signing a contract.

Ian Rapoport said earlier that Jaxson Dart was in the meeting today in New York. Ward faced a lot of backlash when he said earlier that he wanted to be involved in the process.

We will probably have an answer on where Harbaugh ends up by the weekend.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...-meet-with-john-harbaugh-at-his-home-tomorrow

 

[Tennessee Titans]

Ranking the Titans’ head coaching candidates 1-19 from best to worst

The Tennessee Titans have identified 19 head coaching candidates. They’ve formally requested (or completed) interviews with 18 candidates, and their planned in-person interview with John Harbaugh makes 19. Mike Borgonzi has casted the widest net among the nine teams with a head coaching vacancy this cycle.

We previously ranked the Titans’ candidates 1-13. Six more have emerged since then. We’ve completed a new Big Board featuring all 19 options, ranked from best to worse.

John Harbaugh​

John Harbaugh should be the Titans’ primary focus. Hopefully he departs his meeting with the New York Giants without an agreement to become their next head coach. If so, the expectation is Harbaugh will have in-person interviews with the Titans and Atlanta Falcons.

Robert Saleh​

Robert Saleh is among the top retread candidates. The Titans’ interview with him is scheduled for Sunday, one day after the NFC Divisional Round. Saleh’s tenure with the New York Jets was doomed by bad ownership and letting Aaron Rodgers take control of coaching and player personnel.

Mike McDaniel​

Mike McDaniel’s in-person interview with the Titans occurred on Wednesday. There are legitimate questions about the overall toughness of his teams, and his ability to be a culture builder, but he possesses one of the most brilliant minds in football. Would Cam Ward develop into an MVP candidate under McDaniel?

Chris Shula​

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula is a popular candidate. Shula is expected to interview for at least six openings. The Steelers might make seven. He’s among the most popular first-time candidates in the NFL.

Jesse Minter​

Chargers DC Jesse Minter is quite literally the most popular head coaching candidate in the league. He’s been requested by eight different teams, and assuming the Steelers request him too, he’ll be the only candidate to discuss all nine openings. The NFL is infatuated with Minter for a reason.

Mike McCarthy​

Mike McCarthy has ties to president Chad Brinker after working together in Green Bay for a decade. McCarthy has won a Super Bowl, developed two young quarterbacks in Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers, and has a 60.8% career win percentage. He’s a quality retread candidate.

Jeff Hafley​

Jeff Hafley is the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. He checks Borgonzi’s boxes in the sense he possesses previous head coaching experience at Boston College, and is a long-time play caller. Packers fans love Hafley and would hate to see him depart.

Kevin Stefanski​

The Titans had an in-person interview with Kevin Stefanski over the weekend. The two-time Head Coach of the Year winner possesses a brilliant offensive mind. A few Browns players have questioned his leadership ability since his firing, but he’d be a great asset to develop Cam Ward.

Matt Nagy​

Since the Titans requested an interview with Matt Nagy, he’s become a candidate for multiple other vacancies. That wasn’t an expected development, since most Titans fans were chalking up his candidacy to his relationship with Borgonzi.

Kliff Kingsbury​

Kliff Kingsbury helped two young quarterbacks win Offensive Rookie of the Year in Kyler Murray and Jayden Daniels. His offense is similar to Eric Morris’, who coached Cam Ward at Incarnate Word and Washington State. The Titans should have questions about Kingsbury’s ability to lead a locker room though.

Brian Daboll​

Brian Daboll worked for prestigious institutions like Alabama and the New England Patriots. He helped develop Josh Allen in Buffalo, and Jaxson Dart regressed following his dismissal. Daboll’s tenure with the Giants went poorly, though, and he might make more sense as a coordinator.

Arthur Smith​

Arthur Smith was the Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2019-20. The offense was its most explosive in the Tennessee-era under his direction. Smith hasn’t recaptured that same success in Atlanta or Pittsburgh, but his relationship with Amy Adams Strunk could play a role here.

Vance Joseph​

Vance Joseph has also received significant interest for coaching vacancies around the league. He went 11-21 in two seasons (2017-18) as the Broncos’ head coach while displaying in-game management struggles, but has since rehabbed his reputation as their defensive coordinator. Joseph would be an uninspiring hire.

Lou Anarumo​

Anarumo feels like another low-floor, veteran, stabilizing option. He possesses a brilliant defensive mind, but has never been an NFL head coach. It’s tough to envision a 59-year-old, first-time, defensive-minded head coach as the best option to develop Cam Ward.

Raheem Morris​

It’s surprising that Raheem Morris is interviewing for so many vacancies. This would technically be his fourth head coaching stint if you include his interim tenure. Perhaps a few these organizations, Tennessee included, are secretly hoping to land him as their defensive coordinator.

Jason Garrett​

The Jason Garrett interview news was stunning given his absence from an NFL sideline since 2021. Garrett possesses a better all-time winning record as a coach than advertised, but his candidacy feels random and unexpected. Surely the Titans won’t be doing the unthinkable.

Jonathan Gannon​

Jonathan Gannon was a surprising addition for the Titans. He did terribly in Arizona and appears to lack the strong personality type the Titans prefer in their next head coach. Gannon would make a terrific defensive coordinator, however, and perhaps that’s the real reason Borgonzi made him a late addition to the list.

Steve Spagnuolo​

Like Nagy, Steve Spagnuolo possesses a relationship with Borgonzi through Kansas City. It feels like the only justifiable reason for his interview request. Spagnuolo is a brilliant defensive coordinator, but he has an all-time head coaching record of 11-41.

Mike McCoy​

Mike McCoy’s interview is simply a courtesy thank you. He did an admirable job as the interim head coach following Brian Callahan’s in-season firing. The Titans won’t be hiring McCoy to be their next full-time head coach.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...ing-the-known-titans-coaching-candidates-1-19

 

[Tennessee Titans]

Dane Brugler 2026 NFL mock draft 2.0

Dante Moore announced yesterday that he will return to Oregon for his junior year. That made an already potentially thin quarterback class even thinner. Now it is pretty much just Fernando Mendoza or bust. Ty Simpson is entering the draft, but he is going to have an uphill battle to get into the conversation at the top of the draft after a pretty rough second half of the season.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic put out his second 2026 NFL mock draft this morning. He has Mendoza going number overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. That is a given at this point. Brugler doesn’t have another quarterback coming off the board until the 21st pick when the Pittsburgh Steelers select Ty Simpson.

The ripple effect for the Tennessee Titans at number four is that two players who could potentially be at the top of their board will now be picked at two and three. Moore being there would have pushed one of those guys down the board.

If you have been reading here long, you know that the most important thing to me in this draft is getting Cam Ward a number one receiver. The need at EDGE and cornerback is massive, but surrounding Ward with weapons is essential to his development.

Brugler, who is a very smart guy by the way, agrees with me. He has the Titans taking Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State, at number four. Here are his comments on Tate:

With their quarterback in place, the Titans can shift their focus this offseason to other needs, specifically pass catchers and pass rushers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see David Bailey taken in this spot, especially if Tennessee lands a veteran receiver such as Alec Pierce or Romeo Doubs in free agency.

But I love Tate’s potential fit with Cam Ward. He is productive in short-to-intermediate areas with his route precision and ball skills, and truly shines as a vertical ball-winner because of his pacing and tracking skills.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/tennessee-titans-draft/63728/dane-brugler-2026-nfl-mock-draft-2-0

 

[Tennessee Titans]

Titans will probably end up with a retread head coach

The Tennessee Titans are reeling from the John Harbaugh news. Mike Borgonzi, Chad Brinker, and owner Amy Adams Strunk were scheduled to fly to Harbaugh’s private residence on Thursday for a meeting. Well, he canceled the meeting and agreed to join the New York Giants.

The Titans must circle back to their other 18 head coaching candidates. Borgonzi is still in the process of conducting first-round interviews with several candidates this weekend. The Titans will then advance to a second round of interviews, in-person sitdowns, per Paul Kuharsky.

The way the winds are currently blowing, you should probably prepare for the Titans to hire a retread candidate. They are interviewing Mike McCarthy and Brian Daboll in person this weekend. They recently conducted an in-person interview with Mike McDaniel as well.

Jonathan Gannon will interview in-person on Sunday. Robert Saleh has his first virtual meeting with the Titans on Sunday, one day after coaching the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Titans have already interviewed Kevin Stefanski and Matt Nagy, both of whom feel like strong options to advance to the final round of interviews. Kuharsky says Vance Joseph made a strong impression.

All eight candidates just mentioned are retreads. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Titans are prioritizing experience. They are still reeling from the Brian Callahan disaster, and Strunk may be unwilling to take a similar risk.

A retread isn’t guaranteed, however. The Titans have put in requests to interview three first-timers in Chargers DC Jesse Minter, Rams DC Chris Shula, and Packers DC Jeff Hafley. Minter has a league-leading eight interview requests. Shula has six, and Hafley has been strongly linked to the Miami Dolphins’ vacancy.

The competition for Minter feels real. Kuharsky does mention that Shula could advance to the Titans’ final round of interviews. League-wide, Shula is considered a strong candidate due to climbing the ladder with the Los Angeles Rams.

Saleh, McDaniel, McCarthy, Nagy, and Stefanski appear to have the most momentum in the Titans’ head coaching search.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...ill-probably-end-up-with-a-retread-head-coach

 

[Tennessee Titans]

John Harbaugh to sign with the New York Giants

The dream is dead. Multiple outlets have been reporting overnight that John Harbaugh is finalizing a deal to become the head coach of the New York Giants. The Tennessee Titans were scheduled to meet with him at his house today, but that meeting has been canceled, per Albert Breer. Did the Titans ever really have a shot here? We will probably never know.

People are going to make this a Jaxson Dart vs. Cam Ward thing. Don’t fall into that. The Giants have better players all over the field than the Titans do. With the talent already on the roster and the fifth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Harbaugh probably looks at it as a much shorter rebuild.

This reminds me a bit of the Titans’ pursuit of Peyton Manning back in 2012. You could see why it would have made sense for Peyton to want to be in Tennessee, but it was always a long shot.

The Titans will now turn their attention back to the list of almost 20 candidates they have either interviewed or are scheduled to interview.

And to be quite honest, I’ve always hated John Harbaugh anyway.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...ohn-harbaugh-to-sign-with-the-new-york-giants

 

[Tennessee Titans]

John Harbaugh to interview with the New York Giants today

It was reported last night that John Harbaugh is expected to interview with the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, and Tennessee Titans this week. This morning, Ian Rapoport is reporting that he will interview first with the Giants today. Rapoport says that is a good sign for the Giants.

Former #Ravens coach John Harbaugh is visiting the #Giants today, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. His first in-person visit and a good sign for NYG. pic.twitter.com/k4OTmxeFHM

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 14, 2026

To me, the Giants have always been the favorite to land Harbaugh. They have a much better overall roster. The thing that could swing in favor of the Titans is if Harbaugh likes Cam Ward a lot more than he likes Jaxson Dart. Now, be careful how you read that. Harbaugh ending up in New York doesn’t necessarily mean he likes Dart more than Ward. The Giants have substantially more talent all over the field than the Titans do.

Now, we just have to hope that Harbuagh leaves New York today without taking the job. Rapoport says the Giants are the only team that can currently hire a coach, so that means they have already satisfied the Rooney Rule.

Through today, the #Giants are the only team that can hire a coach. Today is the first "interview" but there have been countless conversations between Harbaugh and Giants brass. There is a chance he does not leave the building. https://t.co/KMCBodF0xH

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 14, 2026

The Titans are scheduled to interview Mike McDaniel today. That will be their second in-person interview with a minority candidate (McDaniel is biracial), so they will have met the Rooney Rule requirements after today.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...h-to-interview-with-the-new-york-giants-today

 

[Tennessee Titans]

Titans coaching search: Mike McCarthy in for second interview

Things are moving very quickly this morning. Mike McCarthy is at the Tennessee Titans’ facilities today for an interview after having dinner with the search committee last night. According to Easton Freeze of A to Z Sports, this is actually McCarthy’s second interview with the team. Easton says they talked to him “very early on in the process.” That actually makes a lot of sense because McCarthy didn’t coach this year. The Titans could have talked to him at any point since they fired Brian Callahan back in October.

There was a report from Adam Schefter earlier that the Atlanta Falcons moved up their second interview with Kevin Stefanski to today so that they could get him ahead of his second scheduled interview with the Titans. The second interview here hadn’t been reported before that.

My gut feeling when the Titans fired Callahan was that McCarthy was going to be the next coach. That went away a little bit through this process because so much was made of the Mike Borgonzi and Matt Nagy connection, plus the fact that it took so long for us to know they were going to even talk to McCarthy.

I won’t be surprised if we get news before the start of the week that McCarthy is the next head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Stay tuned.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...-search-mike-mccarthy-in-for-second-interview

 

[Tennessee Titans]

Atlanta Falcons hire Kevin Stefanski

The Atlanta Falcons are hiring Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach. The Tennessee Titans were interested in bringing Stefanski in for a second interview. That won’t happen as the Falcons got him back in their building today and got a deal done.

Stefanski started out this cycle as one of the hottest names available. He faded to the background a little bit when John Harbaugh was fired by the Baltimore Ravens. Now, he becomes the second guy to get a job after Harbaugh went to the New York Giants.

For the Titans, after spending Friday night and Saturday with Mike McCarthy, they are interviewing former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon in Nashville tomorrow, and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh virtually tomorrow night. Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is reportedly scheduled for a second interview on Tuesday.

We can also assume that Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will get a second interview, but I have not seen a report yet as to when that is scheduled.

I am still in the camp that it is going to be Nagy until someone else is hired.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...ff/63762/atlanta-falcons-hire-kevin-stefanski

 

[Tennessee Titans]

Jeff Hafley’s second interviews, Brian Callahan a candidate for OC in Atlanta, and other NFL coaching news

With the Atlanta Falcons hiring Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach yesterday, two of the nine open jobs have been filled. The Tennessee Titans were once again left waiting for a meeting that never happened. They had planned to meet with John Harbaugh the day after he met with the New York Giants. They were also scheduled to meet with Stefanski today.

Titans schedule second interview with Jeff Hafley​

The Titans are reportedly scheduled to meet with Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley on Tuesday. He is scheduled to meet with the Miami Dolphins on Monday for a second interview. The Dolphins have not satisfied the Rooney Rule requirements yet of meeting with two minority candidates in-person. That means they cannot hire Hafley tomorrow.

Brian Callahan a candidate for Falcons offensive coordinator​

Albert Breer said this last night that former Titans head coach Brian Callahan is expected to be in the running to be Stefanski’s OC in Atlanta.

As for staffing, there's a very good chance Stefanski keeps Jeff Ulbrich on as defensive coordinator. And expect ex-Titans coach Brian Callahan to be in the running to be Stefanski's offensive coordinator. https://t.co/EoS4hcY2fj

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 18, 2026

If Callahan does get an interview there, it will be his third interview for an OC position in this cycle. Amy Adams Strunk is probably calling Arthur Blank to offer a glowing recommendation on Callahan because if he gets hired there, she doesn’t have to pay him as much for the remainder of his contract with the Titans.

Titans finalist list​

There was a whole thing that went down on Twitter yesterday about who is on the Titans’ finalist list. Easton Freeze initially called Mike McCarthy a finalist before changing his wording to indicate that while yesterday’s meeting with McCarthy was the second interview, he is not technically on the finalist list yet. Not sure why that really matters.

The Titans are scheduled to interview San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh virtually tonight. They could bring him in for an in-person interview this week now that the 49ers have been eliminated.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is still lurking as a presumed finalist as well. I’ve said it 1,000 times, but I’ll believe that Nagy is the guy until they hire someone else.

Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...for-oc-in-atlanta-and-other-nfl-coaching-news