Realistic candidates to become the next General Manager of the Tennessee Titans
NASHVILLE – The search is underway for the next General Manager of the Tennessee Titans. President of Football Operations Chad Brinker is leading the way as the Titans look to replace the recently fired Ran Carthon. According to Brinker, Tennessee is looking for a GM with an extensive background in scouting. They need a hard-working, […]
NASHVILLE – The search is underway for the next General Manager of the Tennessee Titans. President of Football Operations Chad Brinker is leading the way as the Titans look to replace the recently fired Ran Carthon.
According to Brinker, Tennessee is looking for a GM with an extensive background in scouting. They need a hard-working, experienced "super scout" that's willing to do the grunt work needed in player evaluation. Someone who is all football all the time.
While the Titans are one of only two GM job openings this offseason (NY Jets), I still think it may be challenging to get some of the top candidates to have legitimate interest in the position. What up-and-coming GM wants to leave a succesful organization for the dysfunction of the Titans if they won't even be given control of the roster?
Brinker will be the primary decision maker for Tennessee when it comes to roster decisions. The new GM will be involved, but ultimately answering to Brinker. "It is important to Amy to have absolute clarity in the football organization," Titans President and CEO Burke Nihill recently told Jim Wyatt of Titans.com. "Chad is the leader of the football program. Chad will be the final authority on all football matters, including the roster."
For those wondering, Chiefs Assistant GM Mike Borgonzi, Bears Assistant GM Ian Cunningham, and Buccaneers Assistant GM John Spytek are all candidates that have been tied to the Titans, but I do not view as realistic targets. I've ruled them out. I also eliminated Browns Assistant GM Catherine Hickman from consideration because she does not have the scouting experience that the Titans covet.
Considering the background the Titans are looking for and the pool of candidates that would actually be interested, here are some realistic options to become the next GM in Tennessee.
Thomas Dimitroff
Thomas Dimitroff spent a decade as an area and national scout before rising to prominence as the Director of College Scouting for the New England Patriots from 2003-2007.
Commanders GM Adam Peters, former Lions GM Bob Quinn, and former Titans GM Jon Robinson all worked under Dimirtoff in New England before he was hired away by the Atlanta Falcons in 2008.
From 2008-2020, Dimitroff was the GM for the Falcons. He was named the NFL Executive of the Year in his first season with the organization and would help put together six seasons with 10+ wins and six playoff appearances for Atlanta.
Dimitroff assembled the 2016 Falcons team that held a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl before choking it away to the Patriots in overtime.
Since being fired in 2020, Dimitroff has not worked in the NFL. He has been involved in a sports analytics company as the CEO. But with his scouting background, if Dimitroff has interest in the Titans job (I am told that he does), I actually like the fit a lot. Tennessee has already lined up an interview.
I don't think he'd have an issue reporting to a higher power or not having full control of the roster. Getting back into the NFL and going back to his scouting roots could be attractive to him. There's a lot of smoke here, and potentially a very real fire.
Terrance Gray
Terrance Gray would be a really strong hire. Gray is the Director of Player Personnel for the Buffalo Bills and is incredibly involved in Buffalo's scouting process of collegiate talent.
Gray started with the Kansas City Chiefs and spent 11 seasons doing college scouting for the Minnesota Vikings. Even in his new position with the Bills, Gray is an active, boots on the ground worker. He checks the box of being "all football all the time" and comes with experience in winning organizations.
Last year, Gray completed interviews for open GM positions with both the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. People have referred to him as a "no brainer" in the conversations I have had around the league, but he may be a year or two away from being ready.
Given the untraditional nature of the Titans' opening, that could be perfect. While Gray is a step down from an Assistant GM title and doesn't have much office experience, he's a perfect fit for the job description the Titans have out there.
Jon-Eric Sullivan
The Titans have not yet requested to interview Jon-Eric Sullivan, who is the VP of Player Personnel for the Green Bay Packers. But this is an easy line to draw given Sullivan's experience and ties to Chad Brinker.
Before being hired by the Titans, Brinker climbed the ranks of the Packers organization from 2009-2022. He started out as a scouting intern and quickly worked his way onto the pro side of Green Bay's scouting department. All of those years Brinker spent with the Packers, Jon-Eric Sullivan was also climbing the ladder of the organization.
From 2008-2015, Sullivan was a regional scout for the Packers. He was later promoted to director of college scouting (2016-17) and co-director of player personnel (2018-21). Since 2022, Sullivan has been in his current role as VP of Player Personnel, but now might be the time to reunite with Brinker and make the leap to being a GM.
Sullivan does have interest from other teams around the league. He interviewed with the New York Jets and has not received an official request from the Titans yet. And while I would usually be hesitant about his interest in the job if New York is an option, his relationship with Brinker makes this feel incredibly possible.
Matt Berry
As soon as the job became available, Matt Berry was on my short list of people I'd like to see get the Titans' GM job. I love that Tennessee has now officially requested an interview with Berry, who is the Seattle Seahawks Senior Director of Player Personnel.
Berry was once just a regional scout with Seattle. He later advanced to become a national scout and was named the Director of College Scouting in 2015. In 2023, he was promoted into his current role.
The Seahawks' ability to consistently flip a roster while remaining competitive has been remarkable. They've been to the playoffs nine (9) times since 2012 and have only had one losing season during that stretch.
People around the NFL view Berry as one of Seattle's secret weapons, particularly on the scouting front.
He has a ton of experience on the road and recently got a taste the necessary office experience that he will need for a GM job. But if you want to talk about a guy who is willing to focus on the football side of things and considered a high-level talent evaluator, Berry is your guy.
Mike Bradway
While Kansas City Chiefs Asst. GM Mike Borgonzi might be shooting too high for the Titans, I think Senior Director of Player Personnel Mike Bradway should absolutely be in consideration.
He is the son of former NFL GM Terry Bradway and has over a decade of experience in the scouting world. Bradway was with the Philadelphia Eagles as a college scout and Assistant Director of Player Personnel until he was hired away by the Chiefs in 2018.
He is viewed as an integral piece in Kansas City's draft analysis and evaluation, being relied on heavily when it comes to college scouting.
Bradway is another candidate who may be one or two years away from really being at the forefront of discussions regarding GM candidates (it's likely to pick up if Borgonzi takes a job), but maybe that makes him perfect for what the Titans need right now. Tennessee could use the unconventional job description to get ahead of the curve and hire a future star before the rest of the NFL catches up.
Similar to head coach Brian Callahan, Bradway was raised into the NFL and has experience in his bloodline that could help him get it done as both a scout and GM.
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