Callahan reunites with a familiar backup quarterback, repeating a past error that hampered his previous team's success. His Giants tenure begins with a questionable decision.
The Tennessee Titans didn't have a productive time with Brian Callahan in Nashville.
Callahan was hired after being the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive coordinator from 2019-2023. It seemed like a good decision at the time, as Callahan worked alongside Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow for many years.
It didn't translate to his time with the Titans as a head coach.
Callahan won just six games over two years and was fired after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6 last season.
In 2024, he had Will Levis as his starting quarterback. Levis showed promise in 2023, finishing with 1,808 passing yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
However, he had a steep drop-off in 2024. He was benched multiple times that season for Mason Rudolph and threw for 2,091 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
It was revealed that Levis played through an AC Joint injury in 2024 and missed all of the 2025 season to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. He has now been linked to the New York Jets via a trade, but it still on the Titans' roster.
After going 3-14 in 2024, the Titans had the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and went with Cam Ward. Ward and the offense struggled under Callahan, but then finally improved after he was fired.
Callahan has since joined the New York Giants as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
From Weeks 10-18, Ward threw for 1,409 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception. He had the best touchdown-to-interception ratio during that span.
Ward started all 17 games for the Titans in 2025. The backup last season was Brandon Allen.
Allen has played for multiple teams so far. He started his career with the Denver Broncos in 2019. He then landed with the Bengals, where he played from 2020-22.
He was with the San Francisco 49ers from 2023-24, before reuniting with Callahan at the Titans. Allen played in the regular season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025, and threw for 72 passing yards and one interception after Ward suffered an injury that forced him to exit the game early.
That is not the kind of play you want to see from your backup quarterback. The decision not to bring back Rudolph definitely backfired on the Titans.
Now that Callahan is at the Giants, it's apparent that he still hasn't learned from past mistakes.
According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, the Giants are signing Allen on a one-year deal.
Even though Callahan is not with the Titans anymore, it seems there are some lessons that he has yet to learn. It'll be interesting to see where Allen fits into the Giants' quarterback room.
The Giants had Jaxson Dart, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston all start at different points last season. Wilson is a free agent, so it seems Allen will either be the backup or practice squad quarterback for the Giants, depending on how many they will keep on the active roster.
Allen is a cautionary tale that the Giants should take seriously.