Titans Coaching Carousel Takes Turn as Chiefs DC Enters the Mix

The Tennessee Titans are already spinning the coaching carousel, and the candidate list is starting to come into focus. After pulling the plug on Brian Callahan midseason, a move that felt overdue, the Titans are once again in head-coach hunt mode.

The ink on the 2025 regular season is barely dry, but Tennessee isn’t wasting a single snap. Just one day after Week 18 wrapped, the front office hit the gas, sending out interview requests as the offseason officially kicks off.

We already reported that the Titans put in a request to speak with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Now? The search is widening. Multiple additional interview requests have gone out as Tennessee casts a broad net, looking for the right play-caller and culture reset to steer this rebuild.

Titans GM Mike Borgonzi’s Chiefs Ties Loom Large in Coaching Search

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports the Tennessee Titans have officially put in interview requests for Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Kansas City Chiefs defensive mastermind Steve Spagnuolo. Earlier Monday, word also surfaced that the Titans requested an interview with Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

The #Titans have requested to speak with #Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo, source said, who also should get a #Giants request at least.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 5, 2026

Spagnuolo is no stranger to the big chair. He went 10–38 as head coach of the St. Louis Rams from 2009–2011 and later served as the New York Giants’ interim head coach for four games in 2017. He’s been anchoring Kansas City’s defense since 2019, and stacking rings ever since.

The interest in both Nagy and Spagnuolo signals a real possibility of coordinator churn in Kansas City after a rough 2025 campaign. If the Titans land one, or maybe, both, the Chiefs’ staff could look very different next fall.

All three candidates bring prior head-coaching experience to the table, and there’s a clear connection here: Titans GM Mike Borgonzi knows Nagy and Spagnuolo well from his time in Kansas City’s personnel department. Familiarity matters when you’re trying to reboot a franchise.

Spagnuolo was asked last week about potentially jumping back into a head-coaching role, and he gave the classic coach-speak deflection, choosing to focus on Week 18. Still, he didn’t exactly shut the door, making it clear the competitive fire is very much alive.

“Spags” wasn’t a hot name early in the rumor cycle, but once the regular season wrapped, the coaching carousel scooped him up fast. Given how ugly things got in 2025, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kansas City ends up losing one, or both, of its coordinators.

Spagnuolo’s résumé and league-wide respect give him a strong edge, but if he’s serious about a second shot, he’ll need a clear blueprint for developing Tennessee’s young core. Whether this turns into redemption arc or just interview buzz? That’s one storyline worth watching closely.

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