Titans Head Coach Search 2026 (Working on deal with Saleh)

[IowaOiler]

21 hours ago, scine09 said:

What has Kafka done to excite you?  By all accounts he's been terrible with NYG.

 

I think mainly his work with Mahomes early, although I'm not sure how much was his coaching, Reid's offense, or Mahomes talent...but it's probably a combo of the 3.  

 

Plus, he fired Bowen...so that's a feather in his cap.  

[IowaOiler]

20 hours ago, titanruss said:

 

eyyyy... at least i haven't had to get divorced yet!! 

 

 

I hope you don't ever have to go through that shit.  

[TeamRamrod]

I just feel like they have to get Davis Webb in some capacity.

[titanruss]

1 minute ago, IowaOiler said:

 

I hope you don't ever have to go through that shit.  

 

Same boss. Hopefully the ADHD and restlessness that controlled my younger days doesnt come back. And hopefully she's the same person after kids as before. 

[titanskick8851]

4 hours ago, ctm said:

Next item on Borgonzi's agenda is coaching interviews starting next week.. Playoff coaches have a narrow 3 day window to do virtual interviews. But they can't be hired until their season ends.  Could being unable to be immediately hired, forestall someone like Saleh's or Shula's ability to put together a full staff? Does that give an advantage to coaches who are immediately available?  Coming soon....

Well they rushed the Callahan hire so I think they’ll be a bit more patient with the process. If they end up liking one of the guys who goes into the Super Bowl so be it. 
 

These guys interviewing already have an idea of who their staffs will be. I.e, say it’s Shula. He probably takes Pleasant with him as DC and one of the Rams offensive guys like Scheelhaase as OC, so not too worried about waiting if they think that is their guy.

[ctm]

1 minute ago, titanskick8851 said:

Well they rushed the Callahan hire so I think they’ll be a bit more patient with the process. If they end up liking one of the guys who goes into the Super Bowl so be it. 
 

These guys interviewing already have an idea of who their staffs will be. I.e, say it’s Shula. He probably takes Pleasant with him as DC and one of the Rams offensive guys like Scheelhaase as OC, so not too worried about waiting if they think that is their guy.

Would quality coordinators and position coaches reject other offers and wait around on guys like to Shula/Saleh to be hired? Would the promise of a future spot in early Jan. be enough for guys to potentially wait till late Jan or even Feb.?  Just posing the question, dk the answer.

[titanskick8851]

4 hours ago, titansfan said:

I really dont think Chris Shula is ready.. yall are falling in love with the last name 

Why don’t you think he is ready? You just want more years of experience?
 

Honestly, I could care less what his last name was. I think his journey working side by side with McVay since they were players at Miami or Ohio, and seeing him work all across the defense (was a DB coach, LB coach, asst. DL coach, etc. is what stands out.

 

You look at how they rebuilt that defense after his old boss took the ATL HC job, and that defense has only gotten better since he took over the DC role.

[tgo]

There's no doubt whatsoever that there is advantage in hiring your guy earlier and starting to build out your staff sooner rather than later. 

 

I see the whole "patience" refrain often, but I see to much risk involved with not getting your coordinators and staff in place. 

 

I say as soon as you know who you want to hire, get it done and start getting the staff put together. This invariably puts the guys in the playoffs at another relative disadvantage in relation to serious candidates who are not in the playoff hunt. 

[tgo]

2 minutes ago, ctm said:

Would quality coordinators and position coaches reject other offers and wait around on guys like to Shula/Saleh to be hired? Would the promise of a future spot in early Jan. be enough for guys to potentially wait till late Jan or even Feb.?  Just posing the question, dk the answer.

 

The answer is no. Money and security in your hand will always outweigh some potential future scenario. 

[tgo]

I think with Nagy not calling plays, he would have the advantage to land Kafka (big Ward proponent, knows Ward well) as OC. Kafka's preferred DC is known to be Martindale, who wants to just run his own defense without interference. Strong personality who could complement Nagy's style. 

 

I could easily see a Nagy/Kafka/Martindale pairing - makes a ton of sense on so many levels. 

[OilerTitanHybrid]

Think Callahan was hired on Jan. 22, just for reference.  Interesting to see how long it takes this time around.

[TheBukafax]

The bone man said he wants to stay with the Titans!

[OilerTitanHybrid]

[titanskick8851]

4 hours ago, AvgJoe said:

FWIW, this is just me the fan doing some research and looking at the candidates, but this would be my personal Top 6. That being said, I’m just a fan and don’t know shit about how the interviews go. 

 

Jeff Hafley

Chris Shula

Robert Saleh

Jesse Minter

Mike McCarthy

Matt Nagy

 

Some explanation:

 

I personally wish Chris Shula’s last name was Jenkins or anything other than Shula. The coaches from that family besides Don have been disasters. But he just strikes me as someone that is a leader, will let his coaches do their jobs, and bring energy to the franchise. 
 

Nagy gets way too much hate for a winning tenure in Chicago with a bad GM, and Trubisky and Fieds as his QB’s. Has he developed further under Reid and how exactly would he be different this time? Those are things he has to answer. 
 

McCarthy raises the floor immediately and brings credibility. We won’t look like a walking joke on the field anymore, but can he take us to the SB? Or will it just be a playoff contender that crashes in the Divisional Round. 
 

Saleh likely is able to bring in a very strong OC and clearly was not the issue in NY. Masterful defensive schemer and has said he will have a heavy hand in it for his next HC gig. Makes it likely he is very very hands off with the offense which is a great thing (anti-Vrabel).

 

Minter has the Harbaugh connection which overall is a good thing and has a strong defensive acumen. But is he HC material?

 

Hafley is my preferred candidate and I have been open about that for months. Prior HC experience at Boston College and took over as Covid started, so he’s used to adversity. Elite defensive mind with good results and would likely give full control to the O like LaFleur did with him and the D. 

Pretty much my list as well. Agree on all points. Think it would be great to interview Kubiak as well if possible. 

[NashvilleNinja]