On Tuesday, the Titans announced the firing of General Manager, Ran Carthon.
Carthon, who served as the team's GM and Executive Vice President, received a promotion last offseason but is now out after 2 seasons in charge.
This makes the 3rd straight season that Tennessee has seen major overhaul. In 2022, it was the firing of longtime GM Jon Robinson, in 2023 it was Mike Vrabel, and now, it is Ran Carthon.
After emerging as a perennially winning team with 6 straight winning seasons, the Titans have been getting progressively worse, capping things off with an abysmal 3-14 season.
The firing of Mike Vrabel indicated that 2022's 7-10 and 2023's 6-11 record was not up to standard. In theory, it it indicated a changing of the guard.
Amid this series of change, the Titans inherent lack of direction has become obvious. Objectives are undefined, standards are not set, and both people within and fans outside of the organization alike are confused.
Upon Carthon's hiring in 2023, Owner Amy Adam's shared her 'vision' for the role.
"We want someone who is an exceptional talent evaluator, exceptional at roster building, and someone who is an excellent decision-maker," she said.
She signaled a a new era, saying "I think this is going to be a great reset for us going forward, a chance to bring in new ideas, a new way of doing things."
When he was promoted on January 24th of last year, too, Adams went on to praise Carthon's performance. "Over the past year, Ran has impressed me and our staff with his innovative approach to roster building," This came in spite of the team's 6 win season and firing of Mike Vrabel.
She went on, adding "Ran's exceptional reputation around the league as a talent evaluator and culture builder was a clear competitive advantage during last year's free agency and draft process, as well as our recent search for a head coach."
So, Carthon, according to Adams, strived in numerous vital areas.
After Mike Vrabel's firing in 2023, Adams said "I believe the teams best positioned for sustained success will be those who empower an aligned and collaborative team across all football functions."
In firing Vrabel, the club effectively turned the keys over to Carthon to hire a coach that aligns with his objectives and approach. It was a vote of confidence for Carthon as seemed consistent with the Adams-Carthon relationship.
Shortly thereafter, Carthon contributed considerably in the hiring of Brian Callahan, a relationship that seemed strong and that would stick around for seasons into the future.
So how does this abundant trust turn into a front office overhaul just a year later?
Well, lets turn to Amy Adams and CEO Burk Nihill for answers.
Upon firing Carthon this week, Adams said she was concerned for the team's "long-term future."
Nihill said that Carthon was "hired into a very different job description than the one that exists today." He goes on, adding that "Ran was hired for a general manager position that was very specific to the circumstances at the time... as the circumstance exist today, the general manager position is different."
Per NFL.com, an NFL GM "assembles the team."
How different could the position look and what exactly IS the team looking for then?
Chad Brinker, the team's head of football operations, will be leading the search. Notably, he will also "break ties" in regards to roster building so will undoubtedly have a major hand in the operation.
He stated that the team is looking for a general manager who "is going to be all ball, all day."
And "not just someone who knows how to collect talent, but someone who really understands how to build a team and how all the pieces fit together... and really understand the full puzzle."
So how does this differ from any other GM? How is the position different?
None of it is clear.
Mike Vrabel was fired due to subpar results and ownership indicated the blame fell on him, not the front office. In casting this vote of confidence, Carthon was promoted and given seemingly full reign. After hiring his own head coach, the team has now backtracked considerably, walking back their claims and providing a mystifying explanation for the entire process.
This writing did not set out to provide answers, rather expose inconsistences and lack of direction of the current Titans' management.
While results are understandably concerning and the franchise sits in a rather embarrassing position with the #1 overall pick, it is the approach to their new "plan" that is the major concern.