-
Turron Davenport
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi sat at the table in front of reporters earlier this month for his first season-ending news conference ready to address the team’s search for its next coach. Within minutes, the power went out, and he was sitting in the dark.
Borgonzi’s silhouette against the light blue LED backdrop foreshadowed how he is positioned to lead Tennessee’s pursuit of the franchise’s next chapter. Titans controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk released a letter to fans outlining a front office restructure that placed Borgonzi in charge of both the coaching search and constructing the 53-man roster.
The second-year general manager will spearhead a committee composed of president of football operations Chad Brinker, assistant GM Dave Ziegler, vice president/football advisor Reggie McKenzie and director of player personnel Jon Salge.
1 Related
Borgonzi pledged to cast a wide net when exploring candidates for the job. The list is around 20 now, ranging from up-and-comers to head coaches who were recently let go.
For some, the job is attractive because of a projected salary cap space (over $100 million), the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming draft and Cam Ward — a young franchise quarterback in the making.
«We have a lot of good, young building blocks on this roster,» Borgonzi said. «We have one of the best defensive players in the league in Jeff Simmons. We have a young quarterback who has faced a ton of adversity this year, and he continued to get better.»
The Titans find themselves in search of a head coach for the second time in the past three years. The next coach will be tasked with trying to maximize Ward’s potential by helping orchestrate his development.
Ward outlined what he’d like to see in the next hire.
«Somebody who can really do everything from top to bottom, and that’s both sides of the ball,» Ward said in October. «Offense, defense, they know the system in and out. And I think the biggest thing is how the coach is going to be with players. How’s he going to comrade the locker room? You have all different types of personalities in our locker room. And whoever we get, I know they’ll be the right hire.»
Borgonzi, who came over from the Kansas City Chiefs last January, has seen what it’s like to have a central leader in place. That’s what longtime coach Andy Reid has been for the Chiefs, resulting in three Super Bowl wins over the past six seasons. While Borgonzi has pledged not to allow his «Kansas City bias» to dictate who he selects as the Titans’ coach, he is applying some of the things he has learned from the 16 years he spent there.
«It’s having a clear vision, having standards for what you do,» Borgonzi said. «And then, having that person not be afraid of conflict in a negative way, but being able to hold people accountable is the biggest thing, throughout the whole building.
The lights went out as Mike Borgonzi answered his first question. pic.twitter.com/5UddawhUQk
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) January 6, 2026
«And that person ultimately has to connect everybody in the building, too. So you have to have that balance of being demanding, connecting people in the building, and just bringing people together. So those are the big things that we’re really looking for. Obviously, they have to have a strategic vision in terms of philosophy and X’s and O’s as well.»
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh seems to fit the type of leader Borgonzi outlined. Saleh’s first stint as a head coach with the New York Jets didn’t go well, resulting in a 20-36 record before he returned to San Francisco in the defensive coordinator role. But Saleh learned from the experience. Even though his focus is on defense, Saleh has made an effort to better connect with the 49ers’ team as a whole.
Saleh’s defense has been a key factor in the 49ers’ run to the divisional playoff round despite key injuries to Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner and pass rusher Nick Bosa. So, it’s clear he’s on point from a schematic standpoint. Imagine Saleh crafting up ways to harass opposing offenses with Simmons and a young, ascending linebacker in Cedric Gray.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy figures to also be a strong candidate for the job, given his ties to Borgonzi and his contribution to future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ development. Nagy learned directly from Reid for all but three of the 18 seasons he has worked in the NFL. His stint as the Chicago Bears coach began with an NFC North division title and Coach of the Year honors in 2018, but after back-to-back 8-8 seasons and a 6-11 record in 2021, he was fired.
Schematically, Nagy is a fit for Ward. Nagy incorporated a lot of the West Coast offense concepts he learned from Reid. But he has added his own twist to incorporate run-pass options (RPOs) that allow the quarterback to make decisions based on how the defense reacts. Nagy has utilized both zone and gap blocking schemes to set up deep play-action passes as well.
Nagy also adopted Hall of Fame coach Don Coryell’s emphasis on vertical passing, motion and creating mismatches that was once orchestrated by Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts — who passed for over 4,000 yards in three straight seasons (1979-1981).
Inside Mike Tomlin’s last day as Steelers coach
• How Bears, Williams became offensive juggernaut
• Favorite Mike Vrabel story? We have ‘em
• Next Gen Stats: Stafford, Allen, more
• How players prepare for cold-weather games
These are all concepts that Ward had great success with while in college.
«I have a great relationship with [Nagy],» Borgonzi said. «I’ve worked with him for years. I thought he did some good things in Chicago, and he did a lot of good things when he returned to Kansas City.»
The list of coaching candidates has continued to grow as the hiring cycle deepens — though, they had to cross John Harbaugh off the list after he agreed to take the New York Giants’ opening. Tennessee has already satisfied the Rooney Rule requirements by conducting in-person interviews with two minority candidates, former Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris and former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.
The timeline for the hire is uncertain, but given the possibility that candidates such as Saleh, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula are still alive in the playoffs, things could drag on.
Although time is ticking, Borgonzi and the Titans are in no rush to make a decision.
«There is no timetable,» Borgonzi said. «I think we have to make the best decision for this team. So it’ll take as long as we have to do it to find the best person.»
