It's abundantly clear that the Jacksonville Jaguars hit it out of the ballpark when they hired Liam Coen as their head coach in 2025. In his first season at the helm, they racked up 13 wins and won the AFC South title, so it's not hyperbole to say that his hiring was a resounding success. Meanwhile, the rival Tennessee Titans are looking at yet another rebuild.
After pulling the plug on Brian Callahan in the middle of the 2025 season, the Titans have begun the search for his replacement. This isn't the shocking part, though. He didn't win enough or show that things were going to take a positive turn, so moving on from him was the right course of action. The issue is that Tennessee has put together a pool of candidates that's left much to be desired, with one turning heads for the wrong reasons.
The Titans are interviewing Jason Garrett for their head-coaching opening
Tennessee hasn't made an official announcement as of this writing, but multiple reports have confirmed that former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is a candidate for its job opening. Garrett went 85-67 with Big D and won the NFC East three times from 2011-2019. However, the Cowboys never made it past the divisional round of the playoffs with him leading the way.
Garrett then spent a season with the New York Giants as their offensive coordinator in 2021. During his brief stint in New York, the G-Me ranked 31st in total yards and points scored. Simply put, he doesn't have a track record that inspires confidence.
You could point out that Garrett has experience, and that certainly accounts for something. That said, experience alone doesn't have much value; you've failed to accomplish much with it. And that's the case with Garrett. To make matters worse, Tennessee is also planning to interview retreats such as Raheem Morris and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who won't get many fanbases hyped up.
The one saving grace on the Titans' candidate list is Kevin Stefanski, who somehow managed to win Coach of the Year twice with the Cleveland Browns. But he'll probably have more appealing opportunities than Tennessee.
Related: Why Doug Pederson isn't getting more coaching opportunities after his stint with the Jags
The Titans will have trouble catching up with the Jaguars
When the Titans had Mike Vrabel as their head coach, they routinely were the team to beat in the AFC South. But toward the end of his time in Nashville, he didn't win nearly as much. That led them to make a switch at head coach. With the benefit of hindsight, you can say that it was a big mistake.
Since Vrabel left, the Titans have won six games. Furthermore, they've ousted general manager Ran Carthon and seemingly have no direction. Of course, leadership appears to be an issue, as owner Amy Adams Strunk doesn't appear to have an idea of what she's doing and probably won't figure things out any time soon.
While the Houston Texans remain a threat, and the Indianapolis Colts could turn the corner at any time, the Jaguars won't have to worry about the Titans. This will, in turn, help them keep a stronghold of the AFC South beyond 2025.