Hidden Gem Could Lead Titans To Hiring Mike McCarthy

Even though Mike McCarthy took the 2025 season off, he's still a top candidate for the Tennessee Titans. Their head coach vacancy has gotten plenty of eyes on the team, especially with a top draft pick and young rookie quarterback.

McCarthy spent 2020-24 with the Dallas Cowboys after coming over from Green Bay. He also had a brief break in-between those coaching gigs which helped him reset and get back on track.

Now, the team is inching closer and closer to having him as their head coach for 2026 and beyond. He's certainly not a bad choice as his .608 regular season winning percentage and Super Bowl Ring speaks for itself.

That said, there's someone within the Titans organization that could be the hidden gem that leads to his hire. Special teams coordinator John Fassel is no stranger to McCarthy, and the two established quite the relationship in Dallas.

Fassel Could Help Bring In McCarthy

Titans STC John Fasse — Feb 26, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tennessee Titans special teams coordinator John Fassel during workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

No one ever thinks too much of a special teams coordinator, but Fassel could be the guy to make bringing in McCarthy that much easier. Sure, there are other quality offensive or defensive coordinators on the market, but none of them have as much as experience as the 62-year-old.

McCarthy may be 11-11 in his career during the postseason, but no one can take away the fact he won Suepr Bowl XLV with the Packers. McCarthy helped lead QB Aaron Rodgers to the lone Super Bowl of his career, but plenty of things were out of his control in Dallas.

Should McCarthy come to Tennessee, he'll do so knowing he has a prior relationship with Fassel. There's a world where Fassel is promoted to offensive coordinator, but that's still up in the air after Nick Holz made it very clear he knows he's on his way out.

Fassel And McCarthy Could Make Magic In Tennessee

#Titans ST coach John Fassel said he aspires to be a head coach but acknowledged how most lists consist of OC and DCs. But Fassel added how ST coaches can be as close to a HC as possible because of situational awareness, touching the whole roster. pic.twitter.com/P81Zper4ro
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) December 30, 2025

Oddly enough, both Fassel and McCarthy worked in Dallas from 2020-24. Fassel came over from the Los Angeles Rams where he was actually their interim head coach in 2016. He went 0-3 which echoes the 3-19 record he had as a head coach with New Mexico.

Ultimately, no one believes Fassel is going to be the Titans next head coach. Those days may be behind him, but he's still in pursuit of working his way up the ladder. If Tennessee opts to bring in McCarthy, there's no doubt he'll make Fassel one of his right-hand men due to how much time they've spent together these past few years.

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