Coincidence Or Truth: Two popular head coach candidates omitted from Titans candidate lists from national reporters

Where are Robert Saleh and Mike McCarthy?

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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When was the last time you heard Mike McCarthy brought up as a Titans coaching candidate?

Maybe it’s just me, but it’s been a really long time! He was the hottest name being discussed as soon as Brian Callahan was fired in October, but he hasn’t been mentioned much lately.

49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, however, is perhaps the hottest name being discussed throughout December. He’s a practical guarantee to get multiple interviews this winter, and the Titans seem likely to be one of them. Fans would largely approve of him being the hire.

But something both Saleh and McCarthy have in common right now is that in the two most recent “insider shortlists” we’ve heard for the Titans, neither was mentioned. Coincidence, or a clue?

Both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini have shared a list of coaching names for the Titans this month, and neither one included Saleh or McCarthy. On December 16th, Schefter was on Nashville Radio with 104.5’s “Cover Two with Blaine and Zach” and shared this shortlist:

 “Chris Shula, Rams defensive coordinator. Jeff Haffley, Packers defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, Broncos defensive coordinator. Matt Nagy, Chiefs offensive coordinator. Anthony Weaver, Dolphins defensive coordinator. Joe Brady, Bills offensive coordinator. Klint Kubiac, Seahawks offensive coordinator. Nate Scheelhaase, he’s an assistant with the Rams.”

In fairness, he presented this list in a way that makes it fair to wonder how specifically tailored it is to Tennessee. My understanding is that this is just a list of hot names right now with some agent work mixed in there. But Saleh and McCarthy are nowhere to be found regardless.

Same with Russini, who shared this list in an article on December 20th:

“Tennessee also plans to reach out to several defensive coordinators, including the Indianapolis Colts’ Lou Anarumo, the Green Bay Packers’ Jeff Hafley, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Anthony Campanile, the Rams’ Chris Shula, the Houston Texans’ Matt Burke and the Chargers’ Jesse Minter.”

I brought this article up with a trusted front office source of my own, and the reaction was a strong “where do these guys get these things?” The truth of the matter is that the actual Titans short list exists, but Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker are the only people on earth privy to it. Others in the front office have helped with extensive background research on all the coaching candidates under the sun, so there’s some familiarity with individual names of interest on the list from potential front office sources down the totem pole. But the truth of the matter is that these national reports right now are largely agent and guesswork driven.

So what does it matter that neither McCarthy nor Saleh were on these recent lists? Well, it makes me wonder if either of them would even want the Titans job in the first place. Nobody is disputing that the Tennessee opening is unlikely to be the most attractive of this cycle, given the strong recent history of organizational dysfunction and roster rot. But Cam Ward, strong draft capital, and the most money in the league to spend in free agency certainly counts for something.

The latest we’ve heard from Saleh makes it sound like the Tennessee job might be the kind of opening he’d pass on, though that’s up to speculation. He told ESPN 49ers writer Nick Wagoner “is my desire to get to the top of the profession and hoist the Lombardi one day? Absolutely. Am I in a hurry? No, I love it here. Obviously, the desire is there, but at the same time, it’s not desperation.”

I feel strongly about Saleh wanting back in as a head coach badly. And I have decent reason to believe the Titans job, at least at some point in this process, was one that he’d be interested in. But all of this latest buzz brings that into question.

It’s fair to assume these coaching retreads will approach their next job with extreme caution. They absolutely should! Getting one job is hard enough. Getting a second after eventually failing at your first stop? You’d better make it count. So if you have the luxury of being even a little bit picky, you probably will be.

If McCarthy gets back into coaching, it would be his third stint—an even rarer occurrence. His last stop ended differently, of course, with him calling Jerry Jones’s bluff on his contract and eventually walking away from the Cowboys. And the last time he changed jobs, he took one gap year off. Last I heard, which was admittedly many months ago, he was interested in getting another head coach job in the future. But the quietude on his name as we approach the meat of coaching carousel season leaves me wondering…

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