A move from the Tennessee Titans felt inevitable. Up until last year, it was easy to blame their struggles on the lack of a true franchise quarterback under center. However, after taking Cam Ward with the first overall pick, the situation should have improved.
Unfortunately, six weeks into the 2025 NFL season, it did not appear that the franchise was headed in the right direction. Going 1-5, it had even caused some eyebrow-raising comments from their superstar rookie. As a result, after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, the team decided to move ahead in a different direction.
Tennessee Titans Fire Brian Callahan
After just 23 games, the tenure of Brian Callahan is coming to an end. Fired Monday afternoon, the decision was a unanimous one by management. As they made the news official via social media, they also had a press release.
It featured a word from their President of football operations, Chad Brinker, who wrote, “After extended conversations with our owner and general manager, we met with Brian Callahan this morning to tell him we are making a change at head coach.”
Even though they complimented his character and personality, the writing was clearly on the wall, and the team did not shy away from the reality of the situation when addressing the midseason firing.
Titans statement: pic.twitter.com/t6dkIOp0Z0
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 13, 2025
“While we are committed to a patient and strategic plan to build a sustainable, winning football program, we have not demonstrated sufficient growth. 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.”
Unfortunately, it is hard not to point the blame towards Callahan specifically for their troubles. During his tenure, his forte on the offensive end did not result in a ton of success for Tennessee on that end.
A Deeper Look at Brian Callahan With the Titans
The first coach fired during the 2025 NFL season was Callahan, who was just 23 games into his Titans career. The Titans’ decision to part ways with Callahan came as little surprise, given the team’s steep offensive decline during his tenure.
After ranking 28th in Offensive Impact with a 66.8 (D) grade in 2024, the Titans regressed drastically to a 53.2 (F) mark in 2025, putting them on pace to eclipse the 2023 New York Jets as the worst offense of the century.
Quarterback play under Callahan never stabilized, with three qualifying QB performances that each ranked near the bottom of the league: Mason Rudolph’s 72.0 (C-) grade ranked 28th in 2024, while Will Levis and rookie Cam Ward both finished 37th in their respective seasons with failing marks of 52.9 and 63.2.
After six games, the Titans’ offense is ranked as the worst in the league based on PFSN’s Offense Impact metric. They have an impact score of 53.2, while Cam Ward is ranked as the 36th-best quarterback (among 37 qualified names) in the NFL based on PFSN’s QB Impact metric.
The broader offensive metrics painted an equally bleak picture. Tennessee ranked last in yards per play (3.9) and third-down conversion rate (28%), while sitting 31st in both points per game (13.8) and EPA per dropback (-0.22).
They also struggled mightily in protection and efficiency, ranking 30th in sack rate (11%), 29th in EPA per rush (-0.17), and 29th in explosive play rate (8.2%). Even turnovers were an issue, with a 14.9% turnover rate that ranked 28th.
Historically, the results were just as grim—Tennessee went 4-19 under Callahan, a .174 winning percentage that ranks as the fourth-worst of any head coach to lead at least 20 games in the last 40 years.
Only Marty Mornhinweg (5-27, .156), Chris Palmer (5-27, .156), and Rod Dowhower (5-24, .172) have fared worse over that span. In the end, the combination of stagnation, inefficiency, and historical futility left the Titans with little choice but to move on.
