NASHVILLE – Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars will have a significant impact on the 2025 NFL Draft order and the future of Tennessee Titans football. 

With a win, the Titans will remove themselves from the conversation when it comes to getting the top selection in the upcoming draft. With a loss, Tennessee will be all but guaranteed a chance at drafting one of the best quarterbacks available.

That could undoubtedly change the direction of the franchise, and as I said earlier this week, Sunday's game between the Titans and Jaguars is one that we may look back on in over a decade and point to as the moment everything changed. I believe that regardless of what the outcome ends up being. 

But that also got me wondering…Could Sunday's game also change the direction Amy Adams Strunk decides to go in the offseason? More specifically: If the Titans were to end up with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft (or any pick that positions the team to draft a quarterback), how would that impact what Titans ownership decides to do with head coach Brian Callahan and GM Ran Carthon?

As things currently stand, I'm not sure Callahan or Carthon are at risk of being let go. I do believe ownership is trying to remain patient with the new regime despite a disappointing and disastrous 2024 campaign. The latest information from NFL insiders definitely leads me to believe that they are on track to stay put. But one thing every well-run organization has is consistency within the power structure and alignment.

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Organizational Alignment 

My wish for the Titans is to have the front office, head coach, and quarterback all tied to one another and aligned. A GM that hires the head coach. A head coach that drafts his quarterback. Accountability for all parties when things fail. No more fall guys, or scape goats, or half measures. 

The Titans have been down a slippery slope in recent years where Amy Adams Strunk invokes a "changing of the guard" at every hiccup or disappointing season. And as a result, Titans football has had little harmony and a murky power structure.

Mike Vrabel was supposed to the "the guy"…until he wasn't. He was never on the same page as Ran Carthon, who never really envisioned Vrabel coaching the team he put together. But still, the tandem drafted a young quarterback in Will Levis that showed promise. When Vrabel was fired, Carthon hired his guy (Callahan), who then inherited a quarterback he didn't draft, and despite spending money in the offseason to surround Levis with talent, Tennessee bottomed out in 2024. 

Now, the Titans are in danger of falling into the same trap they have in the past. My fear is that Ms. Amy will keep both Carthon and Callahan for 2025 with a shiny rookie QB to get the fanbase excited. But if things don't turn around or the quarterback does not develop as expected, there will be a fallout that starts with the coaching staff and front office being let go. And then where are we? Left with a talented young quarterback forced to learn a new offense while the new coach inherits the most important piece of his roster.

If the Titans are in a position to draft a quarterback in the upcoming draft, there are only two options in my eyes. You either commit to Carthon & Callahan for at least three more seasons (through 2027) and give them time to develop whichever quarterback they choose, or you cut bait now and take the opportunity to do the perfect organizational reset. 

The Titans are anticipating the opening of a new stadium for the 2027 season. That gives them just two more years before they'll need to have a roster that's ready to compete and draw a crowd. In a world where Tennessee cleans house, Amy Adams Strunk has a chance to bring in a new GM, new head coach, select a quarterback at the top of the NFL Draft, and build from the ground up. 

It's clean and simple. And if you get those hires right, the Titans should have no problem being a young, contending team with a bright future by the time the new stadium opens. 

Maybe most importantly, you are then able to run the team in an organized manner. If for whatever reason the next quarterback doesn't work out, you can hold both the head coach and GM responsible for that failure. No more questioning who should be blamed. No more hot potato and voting the lowest man on the totem pole of the island. 

I want to make something abundantly clear: I am not advocating for Brian Callahan to get fired. I'm not sure I have a preference which direction Tennessee goes in as long as Ms. Amy is willing to commit full stop to one of those two scenarios I laid out. 

If the Titans were to draft Shedeur Sander, for example, and then open the 2025 season with a 2-6 record, I simply don't have faith that Amy would let this regime continue to build around their quarterback and figure it out. I think the pressure to win and win fast is too significant. Which is exactly why it might be best to start fresh now. 

Of course, all of this is contingent upon the Titans actually having an opportunity to draft a QB at the front of the 2025 NFL Draft. That's not at all guaranteed given the number of teams currently tanking towards the bottom of the standings. But if the pieces were to fall into place…A fresh start might be what's best for everyone to ensure the longterm success of the organization. Even if that's not entirely fair to the current regime.

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