Music City Miracles
The Tennessee Titans remain in the incredibly early stages of their head coaching search. General manager Mike Borgonzi confirmed as much during last week’s post-trade deadline press conference. The Titans aren’t even fully aware of which candidates will be considered available.
Matt Nagy and Arthur Smith have been mentioned as potential candidates. Nagy has ties to Borgonzi through Kansas City, and Smith obviously has ties to the organization through his stint as offensive coordinator. Meanwhile the conversation on hot-shot coordinator candidates is changing every week.
Joe Brady isn’t looking as popular. The New York Giants fired Brian Daboll and made once-Titans candidate Mike Kafka (he interviewed in 2024) interim head coach. Klint Kubiak gains steam every week, and Jesse Minter, Robert Saleh, and Jeff Hafley are becoming more popular in league circles.
Coaches who get fired could also emerge as candidates. Matt Schneidman, the Green Bay Packers reporter for The Athletic, is reporting that Matt LaFleur is coaching for his job the rest of this season. That’s a stunning allegation, and LaFleur could immediately top the Titans’ list if he became available.
The Packers lost 10-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. LaFleur’s offense was totally stale for a second consecutive week after they were upset 16-13 by the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. The Packers are 5-3-1.
LaFleur was the Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2018. Despite failing to impress, he immediately got the Packers’ head coaching job in 2019. Mike Vrabel didn’t hand-pick LaFleur, and the two clashed. Smith replaced him in 2019 and the Titans offense took off.
The Packers’ gamble on LaFleur has paid off. He owns an outstanding record (72-36-1) and win percentage (67.1%) as their head coach. The Packers have advanced to two NFC Championship Games and qualified for the postseason in five of LaFleur’s six attempts.
The Titans should remain attentive to LaFleur’s job security in Green Bay.
