NASHVILLE – The search is on for the next head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
On Tuesday, General Manager Ran Carthon spoke to reporters at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports, hours after the franchise parted ways with Mike Vrabel.
"We are going to hit the ground running," Carthon said of the process. "We are going to run an exhaustive process to find our next head coach, and it's going to involve a lot of people. Obviously, I'll be a part of that. Amy (Adams Strunk) will be a part of that, and others. But we want to make sure we are getting the right people in here."
Carthon thanked Vrabel for what he did for the franchise over the past six seasons. Carthon said he had a great relationship with Vrabel, and he said they "were in lockstep" over the past year after he was hired to replace former general manager Jon Robinson.
But Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk made it clear in a statement released on Tuesday she wanted to go in a different direction at head coach following a stretch that's included losses in 18 of the past 24 games dating back to the 2022 season.
"These things are ultimately Mrs. Amy's decisions," Carthon said. "Organizationally structured, we both (reported) to her. … It was about Amy's long-term vision on what she wants the organization to be, and how she wants to move this organization forward."
The process will soon be under way to find the right person.
Carthon said he's already met with the team's operations staff and all the assistant coaches, who will be retained until a new head coach is hired. Carthon said he hopes some of those assistants will be considered by the new head coach "because we have some talented guys on this staff."
"We have to go through league protocols and mandates that we have to meet," Carthon said when asked about the timetable in finding the franchise's next head coach. "Once we handle that part of the business, we'll get started in terms of who we want to sit down with, and (we'll) start immediately.
"I will be one of the parts of (the interviewing/hiring process), and there will be areas where I'll take more of an out-front approach. But this is about the organization, so there will be a few of us in there. I know there are a couple of candidates that will be available that I have relationships with, and I want to be able to run an unbiased process, so that's going to require more people to be in the room and a part of the process."
Carthon said the Titans want to be a well-balanced football team moving forward.
The team now has to find the right guy to lead the way.
"However many people we decide to interview, we're going to interview," Carthon said. "When it comes down to it, everybody will speak their peace with who they like and we're all going to listen to each other and figure out who is best for us."
