Titans HC firing is stark reminder of Seahawks' stability

The first domino has fallen in the annual 2025 NFL head coach firings. Brian Callahan has been fired by the Tennessee Titans following a 1-5 start to the season and a 4-19 overall record with the team going back to 2024.

Instability, especially without long-term commitment to a rebuilding plan, is the downfall of many NFL franchises. Some teams cycle through coaches and general managers almost annually in the hope of finding a better fit and more immediate success. In reality, that's what keeps them in the league's basement.

There's a trickle-down effect to that instability as well. Premium free agents typically want to sign with competitive teams, and it takes years to rebuild a roster purely through the draft. Cycling coaches will stack the chips against you.

In the case of the Seattle Seahawks, the head coaching carousel is a yearly reminder to fans of how fortunate they've been over the last two decades, even if the team isn't competing for a Super Bowl every year.

Oct 12, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald looks on before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. | Travis Register-Imagn Images

Despite shortcomings, Seahawks are a model of stability

Seattle has had four head coaches since 1999 (three coaches for 25 of those seasons) and has produced 19 winning seasons, two Super Bowl trips and a league title in that span.

The team hasn't outright fired a head coach since Jim Mora in 2009. It hadn't been done since 1998 (Dennis Erickson) before that. The Seahawks have had fewer head coaches (nine) in their 50-year history than the Las Vegas Raiders have had since 2002 (14).

Seattle was 86-74 under Mike Holmgren, 137-89-1 under Carroll, and is now 14-9 under Mike Macdonald, six games into his second season. That's a product of good coaching hires, but it's also a product of trusting the process a coach needs in order to create lasting change.

Dec. 28, 2008; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren (left) watches from the sidelines in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Las Vegas is the most extreme example in the league currently, even though they are coached by legendary Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. The Raiders have had just three winning seasons since 2002 and have had four mid-season head coaching changes since 2008.

Jack Del Rio (2015-17) is the only coach who has been given more than two seasons to try and turn the franchise around since Jon Gruden (1998-2001). Del Rio led the franchise to a 12-4 record and a Wild Card berth in 2016, its best season since 2002. After the Raiders posted a 6-10 record the following season, Del Rio was let go. Las Vegas hasn't won more than 10 games in a season since.

The Titans are trending in the direction of the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, the Raiders and others. Tennessee reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs in 2021 following a 12-5 regular season record and back-to-back seasons of at least 11 wins under Mike Vrabel.

Since then, the franchise has only trended downwards after two subpar seasons in 2022 and 2023. But things were better under Vrabel than they are now. The Titans are risking another recurring loop of mediocrity, and it only threatens the chances of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward finding success with the team.

A top pick isn't a guaranteed fix

The Seahawks have only picked inside the top-5 of the NFL Draft five times since 1984 and eight times in franchise history. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon (No. 5 overall) was the most recent example in 2023, and that was a pick they received from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade.

Sam Darnold, Seattle's current starting quarterback who is off to a blazing start in 2025, was picked No. 3 overall in 2018 by the New York Jets. He had to play for two different head coaches in just three seasons with the team, and the franchise moved on to Robert Saleh the year he was traded to Carolina.

While a top quarterback pick can be a franchise-altering move, it's nothing without stability at the head coaching position.

The last four QBs taken No. 1 overall have seen their head coach fired during their rookie campaign:

🏈2021 — Trevor Lawrence (Urban Meyer)
🏈2023 — Bryce Young (Frank Reich)
🏈2024 — Caleb Williams (Matt Eberflus)
🏈2025 — Cam Ward (Brian Callahan) pic.twitter.com/Lb2M91tupd
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 13, 2025

Performing poorly enough to earn that high of a pick means the franchise is flailing. But when the talent is brought in, there has to be a clear vision and cohesion around them.

This is why more and more quarterback "busts" are resurfacing as starters later in their careers. It's oftentimes the franchise's decisions and instability that ruin the arrangement — not the quarterback failing to fulfill their potential.

Callahan may not have been the answer in Tennessee. But to only give him six games with the hopeful face of the franchise feels criminal. The Seahawks have avoided this type of extensive rebuild by consistently allowing coaches time to build and deploy their long-term plans.

Seattle fans, overall, and the franchise have been better for it — at least in the 21st century.

Despite shortcomings, Seahawks are a model of stability

A top pick isn't a guaranteed fix

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