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Well, I did not expect this. As a fan, I am angry. As a person who covers the NFL and College Football, I am confused. Last week, the Tennessee Titans fired General Manager Ran Carthon after just 2 seasons at the helm. I hate this move, and I am disgusted by ownership and Amy Adams Strunk. After the debacle that was the Jon Robinson-Mike Vrabel tenure, Carthon was hired to lead an analytical approach that he used in San Fran to help turn the Titans into a winning team.
Last year, Carthon hired his guy to coach, Brian Callahan, and now the Titans own the first overall pick. I am appalled by the impatience that ownership has shown, as this season was a known rebuild. I would not be surprised if this is the nail in the coffin for the franchise for many years to come.
I loved the Carthon hire at the time, and I still do today. After 3 straight awful drafts under Robinson, as well as the horrendous AJ Brown trade, the approach Carthon brought was a step forward for this franchise. Ran only had 2 drafts, but brought in a lot of talent. In 2023, he drafted a solid starting caliber LG in Peter Skoronski, QB Will Levis, a dynamic playmaker in RB Tyjae Spears, as well as an athletic TE2 in Josh Whyle. Last year, he nabbed a very promising left tackle who could be a star in JC Latham, one of the best rookies this year in DT T’Vondre Sweat, and a steal in 5th-rounder CB Jarvis Brownlee.
Carthon also was aggressive in free agency, bringing in WR Calvin Ridley, CB Chidobe Awuzie, and RB Tony Pollard. He also traded for CB L’Jarius Sneed who, when healthy, played great this year. Carthon’s roster has a lot of talent, but like any team with a new coach, can struggle to build chemistry early on, which is exactly what happened. Teams need continuity. Watch next season end and Callahan get fired. I hate the idea of that, but I’m not surprised. People need time to build teams, but Ran and Brian didn’t get that time together.
I don’t like the QB’s in the first or even second rounds of the draft. Sheduer Sanders and Cam Ward would be QB7 and QB8 of last season’s draft. This roster has glaring holes that are more dire than quarterback. Here's how I would handle the Titans' offseason as the next GM:
1) Keep Will Levis:
I love Levis’ athleticism and rocket arm. You can’t teach his arm talent. With that being said, yeah he’s got a lot to work on. But you don’t ditch talent. He needs another year in the system and as you’ll see later on in this piece, a mentor. His upside is too high for me to ignore and kick to the curb with just one year in Callahan’s offense.
Take a look at Anthony Richardson. He’s getting another chance because he has talent and upside. Both Levis and Richardson struggled this season but both also showed their promise at times. They both deserve another opportunity, especially Levis. If Will shows little improvement sucks in 2025, get him out of Nashville. Considering how much better the 2026 QB class is, and that the Titans probably won't be a playoff team, keeping Levis for another season is really not that bad.
2) Sign a capable veteran (not to be a backup like Mason Rudolph):
I would love to bring in a guy like Joe Flacco to really help Levis learn and compete with. My preferred option would be Derek Carr (if he is released). He had his best seasons with Callahan and OC Nick Holz as his coaches. Some others would be Jameis Winston, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, and even former Titan Marcus Mariota. Bringing in a player to compete for an open QB job with Levis is the best thing for the team in my opinion.
3) TRADE THE #1 PICK:
I don’t care what you get. We did this before in 201,6 and it netted us Corey Davis, some guy named Derrick Henry, and others who were key in both the AFC Championship run in 2019 and the divisional dominance in the years that followed. A haul would probably include: 2 first-rounders (one from this year, one from next), 2 second-rounders (one from this year, one from 2 years later), probably a third-rounder, some late round picks and even a player. Just trade the damn pick.
4) With the draft capital, do something like this:
Draft one of either OL Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. or LSU’s Will Campbell with the traded down first round pick. Use draft assets to either move into the back end of the first round, or stay content at the #35 pick and take one of these receivers; Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, Texas’ Isaiah Bond, Ole Miss’ Tre Harris or Oregon’s Evan Stewart (assuming he declares).
Draft a QB in the third round. The signal callers after Sanders and Ward are all flawed, but have extremely high upside. I would be perfectly fine with Texas’ Quinn Ewers or Alabama’s Jalen Milroe if they fall into the third round. Another intriguing option is Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart. For later rounds, I think that Syracuse QB Kyle McCord is a major steal.
5) Assuming that the Vikings re-sign Darnold, trade for JJ McCarthy:
This would be before the draft, and would cost a lot, but if Levis isn’t kept for another year, I would love this farfetched move. McCarthy has the perfect amount of arm strength, athleticism, and accuracy to thrive in Cally’s offense. He would also be far and away the QB1 in this draft.
Final Thoughts:
Am I extremely mad about this decision to fire Carthon? Yes. Will I stick with my squad? Of course. Will I be extremely angry and sad if the Titans select Sanders or Ward, or if they don’t trade back? Yes, very. However, I do think that Callahan can succeed. He just needs time. He probably won’t get it, considering how much of a rope Carthon got, but a man can hope, can’t he? Until next time, #TitanUp!
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