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Titans Setting Up Second GM Interviews

January 14th, 2025 at 11:55am CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 14: The Titans’ second round of interviews will take place in person today, tomorrow and Thursday, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports’ reports. Once all six candidates have been met with, it would come as no surprise if a decision were to be made in relatively short order. Tennessee may well be the first of the three GM-needy teams to move forward with a hire during the 2025 hiring cycle.

JANUARY 13: Needing a GM for the second time in three years, the Titans are moving fast. Less than a week after firing Ran Carthon, Tennessee is setting up second interviews. One of those involves a candidate the team met with in 2023 as well.

Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham met with Titans brass two years ago, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes the Ryan Poles lieutenant is in line for a second interview this time around. Joining Cunningham in advancing to this stage will be Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi and Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek.

We may not be at the finalist stage yet, though third interviews are virtually unheard of. Still, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray and Colts AGM Ed Dodds are also expected to receive second interviews. Ditto Jon-Eric Sullivan, per Pelissero. While this process is moving swiftly, the Titans still have several candidates in the race.

This batch of candidates includes some who are still in consideration for the Jets and Raiders’ GM gigs. Spytek, a Tom Brady college teammate, is on the Raiders’ radar early. Borgonzi is a Long Island native who has interviewed with the Jets. Sullivan interviewed for the Jets’ job as well. Beyond these three, none of the Titans’ set of second interviewees has been connected to one of the other available jobs. Though, the Raiders have not made official requests yet.

Cunningham would join the Bears’ HC search committee once he is no longer connected to leaving, but for now, the fourth-year Chicago staffer is in limbo. The Bears gave Cunningham an extension after he lost out to Adam Peters for the Commanders’ GM job. The Titans strongly considered Cunningham in 2023, giving him a second interview during the pursuit Carthon eventually won. Cunningham is also believed to have turned down the Cardinals’ GM job that year, with ex-Titans exec Monti Ossenfort winning. Titans brass circling back with another second interview bodes well for Cunningham’s status this year.

Dodds has been on GM carousels previously and has been in the AFC South for seven seasons now. The Colts hired Dodds shortly after Chris Ballard took over in 2017. Dodds interviewed for the Chargers, Panthers and Raiders jobs last year. Gray met with the Bolts and Raiders but declined a Patriots interview request, joining others in doing so as the Patriots looked to satisfy the Rooney Rule for a job most correctly figured would go to Eliot Wolf.

Borgonzi was part of last year’s GM carousel as well, meeting about the Commanders job, but this year marks the first time he has met with multiple teams in the same offseason. The Chiefs have lost Ballard and Brandt Tilis from their front office during Andy Reid‘s tenure. Considering Kansas City’s success over the past several years, it would surprise if Borgonzi was not in the mix for the Jets and Titans’ jobs until the end. Both the Bucs’ assistant GMs, Spytek and Mike Greenberg, are on this year’s GM carousel. Greenberg has interviewed with the Jets. Spytek has been with the Bucs for nearly 10 seasons, two in his current role.

The Titans are giving Chad Brinker significant power, with the team’s former assistant GM — after having usurped Carthon — now president of football operations. That will affect the team’s next GM considerably, significantly affecting this search. Sullivan’s resume should be important here, as he and Brinker worked together for nearly 15 years in Green Bay. Sullivan has been with the Packers since 2004, learning under Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst. Brinker featured the same background upon arriving in Nashville.

Via PFR’s General Manager Search Tracker, here is how the Titans’ process looks nearly a week in:

AFC South Notes: Colts, Titans, Johnson

January 13th, 2025 at 6:08pm CST by Ben Levine

If Ryan Kelly has his way, he’ll continue his career in Indianapolis. However, the impending free agent center understands that there’s no guarantee that he’ll return to the only team he’s ever played for. Following the Colts‘ season finale, the former first-round pick discussed his future in the NFL…and he seemed to hint that his long stint with the organization may have come to an end.

“I just can’t be more thankful to be drafted here nine years ago,” Kelly said (via Mike Chappell of FOX59 in Indianapolis). “Two hours from home [in West Chester, Ohio]. Through the ups and downs. There’s not another place I’d rather be. Indy will always be home. … I love the horseshoe, man. It’s been an honor to represent it the right way.”

Despite 2024 representing his age-31 season, Kelly has continued to produce. He was named an alternate on this year’s Pro Bowl squad despite missing a chunk of games due to a knee injury. He also helped anchor a strong running attack, and considering his track record, he should attract plenty of interest as a free agent. While GM Chris Ballard has recently focused on retaining his own free agents, there’s a chance the organization is priced out of the Kelly sweepstakes. If that ends up being the case, the lineman is proud of his nine years in Indy.

“If I’m part of the team going forward, great,” Kelly said. “If not, it was an honor to wear the horseshoe.”

More notes out of the AFC South…

  • Sticking in Indy, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. won’t require surgery for the fracture in his back, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star. The Colts WR recently revealed that he dealt with the injury for much of the 2024 season, and the issue was at one point expected to end his year prematurely. Instead, Pittman proceeded to get into 16 games with the Colts, although he finished with his fewest catches and receiving yards since his rookie campaign.
  • Nick Folk intends to add another season to his resume, as the kicker told Jim Wyatt of the Titans website that he intends to continue playing in 2025. The impending free agent also noted that he’d be interested in sticking with the Titans, where he’s led the NFL in field goal percentage in each of the past two years. The 17-year veteran hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in recent years, and he should be a popular name on the free agent market this offseason.
  • Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is also interest in re-signing with the Titans, per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. The former UDFA has spent his entire career in Tennessee, and 2024 marked his most productive season with the organization. NWI found the end zone nine times this past year while hauling in 32 catches for 497 yards.
  • After inking a three-year contract with the Jaguars last offseason, Arik Armstead struggled to find his role, as the veteran finished with only a pair of sacks while starting one of his 17 appearances. After playing a rotational role on the edge in 2024, Armstead told reporters that he’s switching back to the interior in 2025. “I’m gonna switch back inside, which is what I wanted to do this season,” Armstead told reporters (including ESPN’s Michael DiRocco). “And I’m gonna be back playing [as the] elite player that I know I can be.” The veteran previously spent his entire career in San Francisco, and he spent his final two seasons with the 49ers primarily serving as a defensive tackle.
  • Diontae Johnson acknowledged that he had an issue with a lack of targets during his 2024 stops with the Panthers and Ravens, but the wideout believes he’s in a good spot with the Texans. In fact, Johnson admitted that he was hoping to join the Texans when the Panthers shopped him at the trade deadline. “I was excited because I wanted to come here before when I was about to get traded,” Johnson said (via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston). “Now that I’m here, fresh start and I’m looking forward to playing.”

Giants Exec Ryan Cowden To Join Patriots’ Front Office

January 13th, 2025 at 5:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

TODAY, 5:10pm: While initial reports painted Ryan Cowden as the No. 2 behind front office leader Eliot Wolf, new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel hinted that the arrangement may not be so cut and dry. During his introductory press conference, Vrabel said the team’s front office approach would feature a “shared organizational vision” (per Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal).

Vrabel said he’s already had many conversations with Wolf, although it sounds like a conversation about the front office dynamic is still to come. When discussing Cowden’s involvement in the operations, Vrabel said “nothing has been determined” while hinting that he’ll have conversations with Wolf about the definitive structure (via Giardi). At the very least, it sounds like New England’s new head coach will also have a heavy influence on how the front office operates.

TODAY, 2:40pm: Giants executive Ryan Cowden is joining the Patriots’ front office to reunite with new head coacch Mike Vrabel, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Cowden was the executive advisor to Giants general manager Joe Schoen for the last two years, but the team let him out of his contract so he can pursue this new opportunity.

Cowden is expected to be the “de facto No. 2” to Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, with a title “along the lines of VP of player personnel.” He began his front office career as a scouting assistant for the Panthers in 2000 and worked his way up to assistant director of college scouting by his departure in 2015. Cowden was then hired by the Titans to be the director of player personnel and was promoted to vice president when Vrabel came on as Tennessee’s head coach in 2018.

After the Titans fired GM Jon Robinson during the 2022 season, Cowden finished out the year on an interim basis. He was Vrabel’s preferred choice to take over the front office, but the Titans went with Ron Carthon instead. Not only did that lead to Cowden’s departure from Tennessee, it also raised tensions between Vrabel and the rest of the Titans’ leadership.

Two years later, Cowden and Vrabel are reunited in New England where they hope to turn around years of post-Tom Brady stagnation. The Patriots have a few promising players on each side of the ball, including recent first-rounders Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez, but most of the roster needs a facelift as does a culture that lacked accountability and vision from Jerod Mayo.

2025 Draft QB Rumors: Ewers, Allar, Titans

January 12th, 2025 at 8:19pm CST by Ely Allen

The collegiate career of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers appears to be over. While he has not officially released a statement, in a College GameDay interview with ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Ewers gave a blunt reply when asked if he expected to play college football next year, simply saying, “No, I don’t.”

Ewers started drawing attention in his second year as the starter for the Longhorns, completing 69 percent of his passes for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions and rushing for five more scores. This year, the emergence of sophomore quarterback Arch Manning made it difficult for Ewers to stay on the field.

Manning’s presence combined with some in-season struggles resulted in a bit of a down year for Ewers. Despite the Longhorns reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals, Ewers (3,472 yards, 31 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) was never viewed as a strength on a team that many saw as balanced throughout the roster. At this point, it seems impossible to hold off the advancement of Manning. With the writing on the wall, Ewers doesn’t appear likely to remain in Austin or in college at all.

Following the assumption that Ewers will declare for the draft, it’s hard to determine in which round he’ll fall. The consensus seems to indicate that Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are the only two passers that are worthy of first-round picks. The importance of the position may push a few fringe players up, though. In rankings from ESPN analysts and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Ewers is viewed as a fringe top-five quarterback, making it hard to believe that there will be enough need to push him into the first round, though he could hear his name in the middle rounds.

Here are a few more rumors concerning quarterbacks potentially in the 2025 NFL Draft class:

  • Penn State’s Drew Allar has been an intriguing quarterback prospect in scouting circles. After being knocked out of the College Football Playoffs in the semifinals, reports seem to indicate that Allar will return to Happy Valley. Per Brugler, though, there were several in the NFL who believed Allar may enter the draft with a strong playoff run. While the Nittany Lions won two games, Allar only completed 54 percent of his passes for 433 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in three games. There are certainly fans of Allar in the NFL, but it seems they’ll need to consider him for the 2026 NFL Draft as Allar has announced he’s returning for another year at Penn State, per Dane Brugler of The Athletic.
  • Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently gave us a bit of obvious insight in the Titans‘ upcoming decision with the No. 1 overall draft pick. There’s a clear sense that they can’t move forward with only Will Levis as the gameplan at quarterback. This means that Tennessee will be taking a long, hard look at Ward and Sanders. If they don’t like what they see, Colorado athlete Travis Hunter could fill holes on both sides of the ball, or the team may just trade back and make a pick that they believe matches the value of their draft slot.

2025 NFL Cap Carryover, By Team

January 11th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the regular season in the books, all NFL teams have declared their cap carryover for the 2025 league year. Unused cap space from the current campaign will roll over, a substantial element of many teams’ financial planning.

Last offseason saw a record-breaking jump in the salary cap ceiling (pushing the upper limit to $255.4MM). To no surprise, another spike is expected but a smaller year-to-year increase is likely to take place. It was learned last month that teams are preparing for the 2025 cap to check in at a figure between $265MM-$275MM.

As teams evaluate key roster-building decisions – including restructures and cuts aimed at manufacturing cap space – carryovers are crucial. It it still not known what exactly the cap ceiling will wind up as, but in the meantime every club’s space which has been rolled over will add a degree of clarity with respect to how their offseason will take shape. Several teams (including the top two on this year’s list) have made a concerted effort in recent years to carry unused space through the course of a campaign knowing a spike in cap charges for core players are forthcoming.

Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the full breakdown of each team’s 2025 cap carryover amount:

  • San Francisco 49ers: $50.01MM
  • Cleveland Browns: $41.95MM
  • New England Patriots: $34.86MM
  • Las Vegas Raiders: $33.57MM
  • Detroit Lions: $23.73MM
  • Washington Commanders: $19.83MM
  • Dallas Cowboys: $18.84MM
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: $15.89MM
  • Green Bay Packers: $15.11MM
  • Tennessee Titans: $14.72MM
  • Arizona Cardinals: $11.38MM
  • Indianapolis Colts: $10.1MM
  • Seattle Seahawks: $8.42MM
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: $6.83MM
  • Philadelphia Eagles: $6.81MM
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $6.63MM
  • Atlanta Falcons: $6.07MM
  • Minnesota Vikings: $5.94MM
  • Cincinnati Bengals: $5.94MM
  • Chicago Bears: $5.08MM
  • Los Angeles Chargers: $4.89MM
  • Houston Texans: $4.81MM
  • Kansas City Chiefs: $3.15MM
  • Miami Dolphins: $3MM
  • New Orleans Saints: $2.93MM
  • Los Angeles Rams: $2.75MM
  • Baltimore Ravens: $2.14MM
  • Denver Broncos: $1.91MM
  • Buffalo Bills: $1.34MM
  • New York Giants: $1.17MM
  • Carolina Panthers: $490K
  • New York Jets: $346K

Titans Request GM Interview With Jon-Eric Sullivan

January 10th, 2025 at 2:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jon-Eric Sullivan now has a connection to two of the NFL’s three general manager vacancies. The Packers’ director of player personnel has received an interview request from the Titans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

On more than one front, the news comes as no surprise. Sullivan is held in high regard around the league, so he represents a logical candidate receive an interview slip from the Titans as part of their search. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders (having moved on from Tom Telesco yesterday) also target Sullivan. In any case, the connections to Tennessee through Chad Brinker make Sullivan a logical target for the Titans.

Brinker had a lengthy spell in Green Bay before heading to Tennessee in 2023. He was promoted to his current role (president of football operations) last offseason, leaving him in a key position as the organization again looks for a new GM. Ran Carthon was hired in 2023, but after two seasons at the helm he was dismissed. Brinker remains in place as the point man for the search regarding Carthon’s replacement, and the Titans made it clear earlier this week it will be Brinker who holds the final say on roster-building decisions regardless of who the next general manager will be.

Keeping that in mind, it would make sense from Brinker’s perspective to bring in a familiar face. He and Sullivan worked together in Green Bay, a franchise which has enjoyed stability in the front office. Achieving the same will be a goal for the Titans as they look to find an organizational structure which ensures long-term success. Assistant GM Anthony Robinson is among the personnel who were also fired in the wake of Carthon’s dismissal, so several executive moves will be needed in the near future.

Sullivan has also received an interview request from the Jets, although it remains to be seen if he will take it. He now has a pair of suitors, so it will be interesting if he does wind up meeting with both New York and Tennessee as part of each teams’ search process.

Via PFR’s general manager search tracker, here is an updated picture of the Titans’ situation:

Titans Request GM Interviews With Ed Dodds, Reggie McKenzie, John Spytek

January 10th, 2025 at 10:30am CST by Nikhil Mehta

JANUARY 10: McKenzie is likely to receive considerable support for the GM role, Dianna Russini of The Athletic notes. He may be the favorite at this point in the process, although things could of course change over the coming days as interviews take place.

JANUARY 8: The Titans are casting their net far and wide in search of their next general manager, adding three more interviews to their list on Wednesday.

The latest candidates are Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds (per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero), Dolphins senior personnel executive Reggie McKenzie (per ESPN’s Turron Davenport), and Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek (per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times).

[RELATED: Titans Begin GM Search With Three Requests]

Dodds has worked under Colts GM Chris Ballard since 2017. He began his NFL front office career as a scouting intern for the then-Oakland Raiders in 2003. That led to a scouting gig in Seattle, where Dodds finished as a senior personnel executive after nearly a decade. He then started as vice president of player personnel in Indianapolis before receiving a promotion to assistant GM in 2018. The Colts have hit on a number of first- and second-round picks in Dodds’ tenure, including Quenton Nelson and Shaquille Leonard in 2018 and Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor in 2020, but they have struggled to consistently find talent in the later rounds.

McKenzie is a former NFL linebacker who retired from playing in 1992. He briefly coached at the University of Tennessee before landing a scouting job with the Packers. McKenzie stayed in Green Bay for almost 20 years, eventually rising to director of football operations in 2008. The Packers won two Super Bowls in McKenzie’s tenure, which also included the 2005 draft selection of Aaron Rodgers.

McKenzie was then hired to turn around an expensive, underperforming Raiders roster as GM. He hit on Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, and Amari Cooper in back-to-back drafts but struggled to find and retain talent in subsequent years amid interference from new owner Mark Davis and his handpicked head coach, Jon Gruden. McKenzie was fired during the 2018 season and joined the Dolphins a few months later. Miami’s next three drafts all yielded several future starters, including Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle, though the team is still chasing their first AFC East title since 2008.

Spytek spent time with the Lions, Eagles, Browns, and Broncos – primarily as a scout – before arriving in Tampa Bay in 2016. The Buccaneers have been one of the most successful front offices in the last decade under GM Jason Licht, who has consistently hit on draft picks and free agent signings. Tampa Bay won Super Bowl LV after successfully engineering the acquisition of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski during the 2020 offseason and has won four straight division titles since. The Buccaneers’ drafts under Spytek have been littered with success, particularly at offensive line.

The Titans’ search is being overseen by president of football operations Chad Brinker, whose football experience stands in contrast to some of Tennessee’s other business-focused executives. He has ties to Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi, Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, and Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, all of whom could be candidates for the Titans’ GM job.

Brinker may also look for familiarity with head coach Brian Callahan, in which case a Bengals executive like Mike Potts, Trey Brown, or Steve Radicevic could be considered, according to Breer.

Titans Request GM Interviews With Matt Berry, Ian Cunningham

January 9th, 2025 at 1:53pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Titans are adding two more candidates to their search for a new general manager, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones: Seahawks senior director of player personnel Matt Berry and Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham.

Berry has been with the Seahawks since 2008, advancing through the scouting ranks before reaching his current position. The Seahawks have been one of the most consistent successful teams in the draft over the last 15 years, with especially strong classes in the last few years.

Cunningham interviewed with the Titans during their last GM search in 2023 after his first year as under Ryan Poles in Chicago. Cunningham has a strong pedigree with more than a decade of front office experience between the Ravens and the Eagles, who consistently drafted well and made the playoffs in his tenure. After Cunningham did not beat out Adam Peters for the Commanders’ GM job last year, the Bears awarded him an extension. Cunningham was believed to have been offered the Cardinals’ GM job in 2023; he turned it down.

The fourth-year Bears exec also has a relationship with Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker, who is leading the team’s GM hiring process, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. With three seasons as assistant GM under his belt, Cunningham could be a finalist for the gig in Tennessee this time around.

The Bears are holding Cunningham out of their head coaching interviews as he seeks a GM job with another team, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. The team is open to including Cunningham in the process once it is confirmed he is staying in Chicago, however.

The interview requests bring the Titans’ search to nine candidates:

  • Matt Berry, senior director of player personnel (Seahawks): Interview requested
  • Mike Borgonzi, assistant general manager (Chiefs): Interview requested
  • Ian Cunningham, assistant general manager (Bears): Interview requested
  • Thomas Dimitroff, former general manager (Falcons): To interview
  • Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts): Interview requested
  • Terrance Gray, vice president of player personnel (Bills): Interview requested
  • Catherine Hickman, assistant general manager (Browns): Interview requested
  • Reggie McKenzie, senior personnel executive (Dolphins): Interview requested
  • John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): Interview requested

Thomas Dimitroff To Interview For Titans’ GM Job

January 8th, 2025 at 6:53pm CST by Ely Allen

After interviewing for the Jets’ open general manager position back in December, former Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has continued his efforts to return to an NFL front office. Per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com, Dimitroff is set to interview for the same job in Tennessee.

Dimitroff has been out of the NFL for a while now, not holding a position in the league since being fired alongside then-head coach Dan Quinn in 2020. His focus has since shifted to a billionaire-backed football analytics company, SumerSports, which hired Dimitroff on as president of football operations. The company, which is “aimed at creating precision in player acquisition and roster management in the NFL,” must have kept Dimitroff busy during the past few GM interview cycles, as this is his first time even interviewing since 2021.

Dimitroff had earned his first GM job after a run with the Patriots, where he served as the scouting director from 2003-07, collecting two Super Bowl rings. He then filled the role as Atlanta’s GM from 2008-20, overseeing a run of playoff berths during Matt Ryan‘s tenure. Taking over the Falcons in the aftermath of the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal, Dimitroff chose Ryan third overall in his first draft at the helm and built rosters that booked first-round playoff byes in 2010, 2012, and 2016. Ultimately, the team had journeyed to the playoffs six times during Dimitroff’s tenure, reaching the NFC championship game twice. The Falcons’ lone trip to the Super Bowl under Dimitroff ended in the now infamous 28-3 collapse.

The veteran exec worked in the NFL from 1993-2020 but has not held a position since. GMs receive second chances at a much lower rate than head coaches, as only two second-chance GMs — Trent Baalke (Jaguars), Tom Telesco (Raiders) — are currently in place. Dimitroff, 58, last interviewed for a GM post in 2021, having met with the Lions about the gig that went to Brad Holmes.

According to McCormick, the Titans are planning to conduct their first round of interviews starting Thursday and continuing over the next two days. Due to an intense winter storm hitting Nashville at the moment, the first round of interviews will likely all be virtual. Should the cold weather subside, in-person interviews could begin next Monday and Tuesday. Dimitroff is currently one of seven candidates reported for the position.

2025 NFL General Manager Search Tracker

January 8th, 2025 at 6:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans and Raiders again became part of a GM carousel in the 2020s. Tennessee canned its front office boss after two seasons, while Las Vegas moved on after one. These two joined the Jets, and after two-plus offseason weeks, the Jaguars followed suit by firing Trent Baalke. With the Titans, Raiders and Jets landing on GMs, the Jags are the only team left searching. Here is how the GM market looks:

Updated 2-21-25 (4:00pm CT)

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

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