Titans Coaching Search Heats Up With Interest in Packers DC

The Tennessee Titans are widening the net in their head coaching search, adding more names to an already intriguing candidate list. Per NFL Network, Tennessee has officially locked in its interview schedule for the opening this week.

The timing comes right after a major front-office shakeup, with newly installed GM Mike Borgonzi steering the rebuild. Now the big question: which of the league’s most buzz-worthy coaching candidates will get their first crack at winning over the Titans brass in Round 1 of interviews?

Titans Begin Full-Scale Coaching Search

The Titans are casting a wide net across the league as they search for a new head coach following the failed Brian Callahan era. Who’s on the short list? When are the interviews lined up? And could this race take a wild, unexpected turn? Those storylines are set to dominate the Titans’ offseason chatter in the weeks ahead.

According to Ian Rapoport, Tennessee has already put in an interview request for Jeff Hafley, the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.

The #Titans continue their search, and sources say they have request slips in for:
-- #Packers DC Jeff Hafley
-- #49ers DC Robert Saleh
-- #Steelers OC Arthur smith
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 8, 2026

Hafley, 46, has spent the last two seasons calling the shots on defense in Green Bay, where the unit took a noticeable leap forward under his watch. His résumé checks plenty of boxes for teams hunting upside: seven NFL seasons as a position coach, two as a defensive coordinator, and four years of head-coaching experience at Boston College. That blend of pro and college leadership has quickly turned Hafley into one of the hotter names in the 2026 coaching cycle.

The results back it up. In 2024, the Packers finished fifth in yards allowed and sixth in points allowed, a massive jump from the year prior. Injuries to Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt slowed things late in 2025, but Green Bay still wrapped the season ranked 12th in yards allowed and 11th in scoring defense — strong numbers considering the attrition.

With seven head coaching jobs open to kick off the 2026 cycle, Hafley figures to be a popular interview request over the next few weeks.

While most of the names linked to Tennessee haven’t raised eyebrows, one league-shaking development changed the tone of the search entirely: the Baltimore Ravens moving on from John Harbaugh. That firing sent shockwaves across the NFL. Multiple reports suggest Harbaugh was contacted by every team with an opening — even if the Titans weren’t named directly. Given his résumé and postseason pedigree, Tennessee would be smart to at least kick the tires on a coach of that caliber.

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