With Chad Brinker's departure, the Titans pivot. General Manager Mike Borgonzi now holds the keys, ushering in a crucial era for sustained success.
I've had the pleasure and disappointment of being a Tennessee Titans fan for my whole life.
I was two years old when the team went to the Super Bowl, so I have no memories of it. However, I have seen this team at its best and worst over the years.
The first Titans jerseys were of legendary running back Eddie George and underrated receiver Drew Bennett.
Getting to witness George's final years with the franchise and seeing Chris Johnson, Keith Bulluck, Derrick Henry, and many others grace the Titans with their play was a real treat.
I've also been here for some of the worst stretches in franchise history.
After Jeff Fisher left for the St. Louis Rams, it got a little dicey. There was Mike Munchak, who had a decent 9-7 finish in his first year, and then fell off. That was the era where the Titans struggled to find consistent quarterback play.
Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Zach Mettenberger were all under center in that stretch.
Then, there was the disfunction of the Ken Whisenhunt era.
Whisenhunt won three games and didn't make it a full two seasons before being fired. Mike Mularkey came in and took the team to the playoffs, but even then, he didn't last long.
Mike Vrabel took the team to new heights, but he couldn't sustain his success. Then, like all of you, I went through the struggles of Brian Callahan's tenure in the Music City.
Now, the Titans are entering a new era, with Robert Saleh as head coach and Mike Borgonzi as the General Manager.
Recently, there was some breaking Titans news that could signal a culture shift for the franchise. Titans President of Football Operations Chad Brinker stepped down on Wednesday night.
Brinker was in charge of hiring Borgonzi and had full control of the roster. Now that he's gone, the Titans' leadership plan is clear. Borgonzi is getting the keys to this franchise.
The time is now for the Titans to have some stability, finally. To give you all some context on how bad things have been lately, let's go back a few years.
In December of 2022, Jon Robinson was fired as GM after the A.J. Brown debacle in the 2022 NFL Draft. Brinker began as an Assistant GM in 2022.
The team then hired Ran Carthon in his place in January of 2023. Carthon had risky contracts that didn't pan out.
He gave massive contracts to Lloyd Cushenberry, Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard and L'Jarius Sneed. Pollard is really the only one of those four who has lived up to his contract.
Cushenberry had injury issues that kept him off the field, and the same can be said for Sneed. Neither of them is on the team anymore.
Ridley had a good start in 2024, but then looked terrible before his season-ending injury last season.
Vrabel was fired after the 2023 season, and Carthon was fired in January of 2025. Callahan was let go after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6 last season. Before that, the team decided to hire Borgonzi shortly after firing Carthon.
Tennessee then changed its front office structure at the beginning of 2026. Then, the Titans hired Saleh. Now, here we are after the Brinker stepped down after being promoted to President of Football Operations a little over two years ago.
This franchise had had many more problems than just inconsistency at the top. However, this feels like the right time for things to start shifting in the right direction, finally.
The Titans gave Cam Ward more offensive weapons this offseason. The defense has been upgraded to better suit Saleh's needs.
It will take a lot for this team to go from 3-14 to a playoff contender. The pieces are in place for the Titans to be much better in 2026, but it all starts with consistency in the front office for what was once a proud franchise.