Brian Callahan was hired by the Titans as the 20th head coach in franchise history on Jan. 24, 2024.
Callahan arrived in Tennessee with 18 total years of coaching experience and 14 years of NFL coaching experience, including the previous five seasons (2019-23) as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.
During his time in Cincinnati, Callahan served under head coach Zac Taylor and was part of two AFC North titles, two AFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl berth. He also helped guide quarterback Joe Burrow from the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2020 to multiple single-season franchise records by his second year and Pro Bowl honors within three years.
"Brian has a track record of success and a range of experience that has prepared him for this opportunity," said Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk at the time of the hire. "His football knowledge and his enthusiasm for the game really stand out, and beyond that, we think his ability to lead will make him the ideal fit for our franchise.
"If you look at his history, Brian has been a part of a Super Bowl winning team (Denver, 2015) and two other teams that advanced to the Super Bowl (Denver, 2013; Cincinnati, 2021). He's worked in a variety of dynamic offenses with top-flight quarterbacks. At each step of his career, he's shown the flexibility and intelligence to make an impact.
"During his time with the Bengals, he was trusted with a number of responsibilities—offensive design, quarterback development, a contributor to the free agency and draft processes—and showed the ability to be a resource in all of those areas. As we seek sustained success and pursue a championship, Brian has seen firsthand what that looks like, and he is the right person to lead us there."
In the three seasons prior (2021-23) to Callahan joining the Titans the Bengals offense ranked in the NFL's top 10 in several categories: sixth in scoring (24.9), seventh in passing (250.8 yards per game), seventh in red-zone efficiency (61.5 percent), 10th in third-down percentage (41.0) and sixth in time of possession (31:00).
From the time Burrow entered the NFL in 2020 through the 2023 campaign, he recorded the league's seventh-best passer rating (98.6) and tied for the third-best completion percentage (68.0). His 270.8 passing yards per game in that period ranked fifth.
Additionally, Cincinnati's offense under Callahan featured a trio of 1,000-yard wide receivers in Ja'Marr Chase (2021-23), Tee Higgins (2021-22) and Tyler Boyd (2019). Chase quickly emerged as one of the NFL's top wide receivers after being drafted in the first round in 2021. He earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods and became the eighth player in NFL history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three career seasons, including 1,216 yards on a career-high 100 receptions in 2023. Boyd's statistical highlights included 1,046 receiving yards in 2019, while Higgins contributed 1,091 yards in 2021 and 1,029 yards in 2022.
Bengals running back Joe Mixon exceeded 1,000 scrimmage yards four times in five seasons with Callahan as his offensive coordinator. From 2019 through 2023, he joined Christian McCaffrey and Aaron Jones as the NFL's only players with at least 4,500 rushing yards (4,618) and 1,500 receiving yards (1,556). Mixon was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021.
In 2023, Burrow was limited to 10 total games due to multiple injuries. Backup Jake Browning stepped into the lineup, and in the first action of his career, he registered a season passer rating of 98.4—qualifying as the seventh-best number in the NFL.
In 2022, the Bengals ranked seventh in the NFL in points per game (26.1), eighth in total offense (360.5 yards per game) and fifth in passing offense (265.0). Burrow earned his first career Pro Bowl selection while setting single-season franchise records for completions (414) and touchdown passes (35). The third-year signal caller also placed fifth in the NFL with 4,475 passing yards. The team's new-look offensive line came together during the season and did not allow more than two sacks in any of the final eight games of the regular season.
En route to an appearance in Super Bowl LVI, the 2021 Bengals ranked seventh in passing offense (259.0 yards per game) and tied for seventh in points per game (27.1). Burrow, after returning from a knee injury suffered in 2020, led the NFL in completion percentage (70.4) and established single-season Bengals records for passing yards (4,611) and passer rating (108.3). Chase was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year after posting a team-record 1,455 receiving yards, while Mixon placed third in the NFL in rushing yards (1,205).
In 2020, Callahan helped develop Burrow as a rookie despite facing the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including the cancellation of all in-person NFL offseason programs. Before a knee injury ended his rookie campaign in Week 11, Burrow's 264 completions were the most ever by an NFL quarterback through his first 10 career games, while his 2,688 passing yards were fifth.
Callahan joined the Bengals after spending 2018 as the quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders. Under his tutelage, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr passed for a then-career-high 4,049 yards and led the AFC with a 68.9 completion percentage.
From 2016 to 2017, Callahan was the quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions. Working with Matthew Stafford, he helped the veteran finish third in passing yards (4,446) and fourth in passing touchdowns (29) in 2017, while posting a then-career-best 99.3 passer rating. In 2016, Stafford's eight game-winning drives were the most by a quarterback in a season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Callahan broke into the NFL with the Denver Broncos in 2010 and served in multiple roles for the franchise through 2015. He began as a coaching assistant (2010) before transitioning to offensive quality control coach (2011-12), offensive assistant coach (2013-14) and finally offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach (2015). In 2013, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning won the Associated Press NFL MVP award after completing a league-record 55 touchdown passes. Callahan's tenure in Denver was capped by the team's victory in Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 campaign.
Before reaching the NFL, Callahan spent time at his alma mater, UCLA, as a graduate assistant in 2006 and 2007. He then spent two years (2008-09) as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif.
As a former walk-on quarterback at UCLA, he appeared in 13 games as a holder on PATs. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2006 and added a master's in education in 2008.
Born in Champaign, Ill., Callahan attended De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., where he was a part of the school's national-record 151-game winning streak and a No. 1 national ranking.
He and his wife, Allyson, have a son, Ronan, and a daughter, Norah. He is the son of longtime NFL coach Bill Callahan, the current offensive line coach with the Titans.
BRIAN CALLAHAN'S COACHING TIMELINE
2024: Head Coach – Tennessee Titans
2019-23: Offensive Coordinator – Cincinnati Bengals
2018: Quarterbacks Coach – Oakland Raiders
2016-17: Quarterbacks Coach – Detroit Lions
2015: Offensive Assistant/Quarterbacks Coach – Denver Broncos
2013-14: Offensive Assistant – Denver Broncos
2011-12: Offensive Quality Control – Denver Broncos
2010: Coaching Assistant – Denver Broncos
2008-09: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach – Junipero Serra High School
2006-07: Graduate Assistant – UCLA
