Report: Smith Begins Head Coach Interviews

The Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator talked with another team Sunday night, additional meetings scheduled Monday.

Arthur Smith waited until the end of the season before he started to interview with teams in search of a head coach.

He just did not wait long.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Smith talked with representatives of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night, hours after the Titans were eliminated from the playoffs with a 20-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Schefter also said Smith would talk to the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers on Monday and with the Detroit Lions on Tuesday.

There are six NFL franchises currently in search of head coaches and all six have been reported as having some degree of interest in the 38-year-old Smith, who has been part of the Titans’ coaching staff since 2011 and has been their offensive coordinator for two seasons.

“He’s an unbelievable guy,” quarterbacks coach Pat O’Hara said last week. “He’s creative. He’s super organized. He manages the time of our staff really effectively in time spent/value received. I think in-game he’s very calm. He’s ahead of the game there, play-by-play. He knows strengths and weaknesses of our players. He effectively uses our staff with our players.”

Tennessee finished second in the NFL in yards per game, fourth in points scored, fourth in yards per play and fifth in third-down success during the regular season. Running back Derrick Henry became the eighth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a career-high 33 touchdown passes and had a passer rating of better than 100 (106.5) for the second consecutive year, and wide receiver A.J. Brown has topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons.

Smith has worked for four different head coaches with the Titans and has progressed from a quality control coach to assistant tight ends coach to tight ends coach and then offensive coordinator.

“There’s just a lot there, a lot there to like,” O’Hara said. “Great guy. Good sense of humor. And [he’s] just been really effective as a coordinator. Love working for him.”