What makes the Tennessee Titans coaching job attractive to candidates?
By Will Lomas
As it stands right now, the Tennessee Titans are one of seven NFL teams that are looking for a new head coach, and they should be right near the top of the list for candidates.
With the New England Patriots promoting Jerod Mayo to the top job, that leaves the Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, L.A. Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, and the Atlanta Falcons as teams still searching for their next head coach.
There is a sentiment among national media people or pessimistic Titans fans, that the Titans aren't an attractive landing spot for candidates. Every job has its pros and cons, but I could make an argument that there are things that the Tennessee Titans have that other teams don't.
What makes the Tennessee Titans an attractive landing spot?
The most obvious starting point is the quarterback position.
Tennessee, Carolina, and maybe Las Vegas are the only teams that can say that they already have a young, cost-effecive quarterback on the roster. Out of those three, Will Levis has had the best flashes and he did it with one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.
Washington could make this list, but all signs point to them drafting a new quarterback with the second pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. So while their next coach is going to get to decide whether he likes Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye the most, they are going to have to make that decision knowing that they are missing out on a great player at another position.
Speaking of the draft, with the Patriots and Commanders presumably drafting quarterbacks with their first-round picks, the Tennessee Titans and L.A. Chargers would be the only teams with a high enough first-round pick to grab one of the four blue-chip players at a premium position.
There are some big holes in the Tennessee Titans roster, but knowing that you are a few months away from adding a great left tackle prospect or a great wide receiver prospect, can make that task a lot easier.
Something else that will make that task easier is that the Tennessee Titans will have the most effective cap space in the NFL this offseason, according to OTC.
If I am making a pitch to a potential head coaching candidate, it would sound something like this,
"In Tennessee, you are going to have a quarterback in place and you are going to have all the resources you need to build an offense around him. The team isn't bogged down with bad contracts or dead money, so you can be aggressive in free agency and the draft. We aren't competing for a ring this year and we know this is a multi-year rebuild so 2024 is about improvement, not perfection. Specifically, it is about trying to make sure that Will Levis is a franchise quarterback and that this team is finally defined by quarterback play instead of by running backs and punters."
Think about this, in the last 20 years the Tennessee Titans have only had a top-10 offense twice and one of those seasons was the COVID year where fans missed the chance to see it in person. This fan base deserves a fun offense to watch that doesn't leave them making excuses for friends who support other teams.
Going after a great offensive-minded head coach with a vision, a blank canvas, and a lot of resources sounds like something Tennessee Titans fans would be able to buy into immediately, and any animosity between the fans and Amy Adams Strunk would quickly disappear.