NEW ORLEANS – When Warren Moon arrived in Houston back in 1984, things looked pretty bleak at the time.
The Oilers were coming off a 2-14 season, and things didn't get better immediately after his arrival. There was a 3-13 season in 1984, followed by a pair of 5-11 seasons in 1985 and 1986.
But things gradually improved, and in time the Oilers became contenders, winning nine or more games in seven straight years from 1987-1993.
So, Moon can relate to what the Titans are going through right now.
Leading up to Super Bowl LIX, Moon discussed the current state of the Titans, his thoughts on the team's potential options at the quarterback position this offseason, from the NFL Draft to free agency to the team's returning QBs.
Moon, in town representing NFL Alumni and promoting screening for cancer awareness, said he plans to reach out to controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk in the coming weeks to offer words of encouragement. Moon also expressed optimism regarding new Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi, formerly with the Chiefs, another one of Moon's former teams.
"The positive is the team has the No.1 pick in the draft, and if they're smart with it, they have a chance to change the dynamics of the organization, if you make the right pick and it works out," Moon said of the Titans. "Or, if you trade it, then you could get a whole bunch of other picks that would help out the depth of the football team. So, it just depends on what their feelings are on the quarterback position with Will (Levis), and their thoughts on some of the other guys who could be available in the draft, and free agency.
"They do have a lot of decisions they have to make, with a new general manager now. They have to all get on the same page with what Amy wants, what the new GM wants, what the head coach wants. They have a lot to figure out in the next month."
Moon, who threw for 49,325 yards in 17 NFL seasons (1984-2000) with the Oilers, Vikings, Seahawks and Chiefs after first playing for the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL, said he doesn't think either of the top-rated quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft – Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders – will be ready to play Day 1.
Yet Moon said he's intrigued by them at least.
"I don't think any rookie is ready to play, although you have a guy like Jayden Daniels in Washington who shows you maybe that's not always the case, or Bo Nix for that matter," Moon said. "So that gives you some hope. What worries me is (Cam and Shedeur) aren't necessarily rated in the top five of the class. And, in Tennessee, I'd worry that they may not have enough to support them on that team if they were to be drafted, and had to come in and play immediately. Can the Titans be patient with them, and let them sit back and learn from a veteran? I don't know.
"I will say I like Cam and Shedeur both. I think Ward has more athleticism and maybe a stronger arm. Shedeur is maybe a better pocket passer, and he's a tough kid that will hang in there and take shots and still deliver the football. I like them both, and they were both very productive in college. I think they're going to have solid careers."
Moon said some of the free agent quarterbacks could be interesting to the Titans as well.
"There are some guys out there," Moon said. "I think Sam Darnold would be OK, in spite of how the season ended. You can't discard the regular season he had. You have Aaron Rodgers who could be out there, and maybe Matt Stafford could be available, depending on what the Rams want to do.
"Russell Wilson or Justin Fields could be available, Kirk Cousins. There will be some free agents out there the team could work with as a bridge quarterback at least. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out."
Moon suspects the team might be willing to move on from Levis, although he acknowledged he's been in a tough spot in Tennessee.
Moon happened to be in Nashville for the NFL debut of Levis in 2023, when he threw for four touchdowns against the Falcons. He was in town for Oilers/Titans Alumni weekend, and he left impressed.
But he's seen a lot of changes, and inconsistencies since.
"He's been there two years, and he's had two head coaches, two offensive coordinators," Moon said of Levis. "You have to take those things into consideration. Has that affected his play, or do you think you've seen enough watching him every day regardless of who is coaching him? Do you think he still has a shot to be the guy of the future, or do you invest the pick on one of the guys coming out?
"With Will, there haven't been enough positives to make you say: He's had a great stretch you can build on. He's been hurt, and he's lost his job. Looking from afar, it's hard for me to think they'd be that satisfied with him, especially after seeing his head coach go after him a few times with some of the mistakes and turnovers he made with the football, with bad judgement. If I was a betting man, I'd think they might want to make a change at that position.
"Maybe they start the season with Mason Rudolph and a rookie? That could be possible, too. They have a lot of things to consider."
Moon said he likes coach Brian Callahan, and the team's new GM.
"I think with Brian, if he can get the trigger man that he wants, that would be big for him," Moon said. "Any head coach who comes from an offensive background like he does, and coming from a place where he had a player like Joe Burrow, he knows that's what he needs in order to be successful. He needs to have a good quarterback to make everything go. I am sure he is hoping and praying he gets that, and if he does, they can be a competitive football team pretty quick. But they have to have a quarterback who can help give your team a chance to win every week.
"And Mike, he comes from a good program, working under (Chiefs GM) Brett Veach," Moon continued. "Mike has been a part of what they've done there in Kansas City, and you can't help but learn from the success that they've had.
"I would think Mike has a great chance to be successful, and he'll be inclusive. In Kansas City, they all work together as a team. And in Tennessee, as long as they have collaboration, I think they'll have harmony, and success."
From afar, Moon said he's pulling for the Titans.
Moon said he knows Amy Adams Strunk has to be more frustrated than anyone after making so many changes, and after three straight disappointing seasons.
"Some people are more emotional about decisions they make than others," Moon said. "The fact that she's put so much into this organization over the last five, six years with the new facilities, the new stadium getting ready to go up, she just wants to see the results of all this action she is putting in place. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.
"This should be an interesting offseason for the Titans."
