Titans HC Breaks Down How Tennessee Hired His Father

Highlights

Titans HC Brian Callahan didn’t get a family discount when hiring dad Bill from the Browns.
Bill Callahan, a standout OL coach from the Browns, joins son and former Bengals OC Brian on the Titans’ staff.
Brian Callahan aims to revive the Titans’ offense with QB Will Levis and his father’s OL expertise.

With a fresh start intact ahead of the 2024 season, a new head coach is trying to give his father a hard time.

When the Tennessee Titans hired Brian Callahan, they were able to pull away his dad, Bill, from another AFC foe. But, the process didn’t exactly go quite as smoothly as one might think when a son is the hirer and a father is the hiree (via The Adam Schefter Podcast):

You gotta negotiate. Business is business, and he [Bill Callahan] said, ‘If I’m gonna do this, here’s X, Y, and Z what I’m gonna need.’ There was no family discount, if anybody’s wondering..

Now, as the father and son get ready to work together for their first season in Nashville, they have familial chemistry to build upon. But the question will be, how will they mesh and work together? Let’s take a deeper look into the Callahans.

Titans name Brian Callahan as their next head coach

The Tennessee Titans have decided to hire Brian Callahan as the team’s next head coach.

Brian Callahan Mentions ‘No Family Discount’ When Hiring Dad Bill

2 Divisional Foes Now Become Head and Assistant Coaches in Tennessee

Now, how were they divisional foes? Quite a simple explanation. Father Bill worked as an offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns of the AFC North from 2020-2023. And he was held as quite the esteemed coach.

Prior to his stop in Cleveland, the elder Callahan had fostered a career on NFL sidelines that began way back in 1995. Over his near-three decades in the league, Callahan served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2002-2003, leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2002, led the Dallas Cowboys offense as OC from 2012-2014, and spent a few weeks as the interim HC of the Washington Commanders in 2019 after working as the assistant head coach for the franchise from 2017-2019.

Son Brian, meanwhile, was the offensive coordinator of the Browns’ in-state and division rival Cincinnati Bengals from 2019 up until last season. Prior to that, he’d worked in various roles for the Denver Broncos from 2010-2015 before taking on QB coach roles for the Detroit Lions from 2016-2017, and the Raiders in 2018.

However, the Bengals struggled mightily on offense during the 2023 campaign, as inconsistent quarterback play and injuries put a major damper on a squad that could be considered to have a top-level offensive unit in the NFL.

Bengals Disappointing Offense in 2023
Bengals Stat	NFL Rank
1,537 rushing yards	31st
383 rushing attempts	30th
37.6% 3rd down conversion rate	20th
45% 4th down conversion rate	25th

Those numbers listed certainly will not make the front office, nor a team’s fanbase, happy. However, the offensive struggles can largely be attributed to Joe Burrow’s lack of availability due to various injuries sustained before and during the campaign, rather than Callahan losing his touch as an OC.

The Bengals would have liked to retain Callahan, but with five years of OC experience under his belt, he was ready for a new challenge. Now, the 39-year-old, who offensive players have already stated they’re excited to work with, will be ready to step into the shoes left vacant by Mike Vrabel, who the Titans fired on January 9.

As someone who was known as a quarterback whisperer in Cincinnati, Brian Callahan now gets a chance to develop a young, but very intriguing quarterback in second-year pro Will Levis. And with father Bill in tow, who is known for developing premier offensive lines, a major turnaround could be afoot in the Music City.

Source: The Adam Schefter Podcast

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.