NASHVILLE, Tenn. After a few minutes, the electricity went out, and he was sitting in the dark.
Borgonzi’s shadow against the blue LED backdrop symbolized how he was positioned to lead Tennessee’s campaign for the franchise’s next chapter. Titans managing owner Amy Adams-Strunk released a letter to fans detailing the reorganization of the front office that put Borgonzi in charge of both the coaching search and building the 53-man roster.
The second-year general manager will lead a committee made up of president of football operations Chad Brinker, assistant GM Dave Ziegler, vice president/football advisor Reggie McKenzie and director of player personnel Jon Salge.
Borgonzi is committed to casting a wide net when vetting candidates for the job. The list is about 20 now, from up-and-comers to recently released head coaches.
For some, the job is attractive because of the limited cap space (over $100 million), the No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft and Cam Ward — a young franchise quarterback in the making.
“We have a lot of good, small building blocks in this lineup,” Borgonzi said. “We’ve got one of the best defensive players in the league in Jeff Simmons. We’ve got a young player who’s struggled this year, and he’s continued to get better.”
The Titans find themselves in a coaching search for the second time in three years. The next coach will be tasked with trying to maximize Ward’s potential by helping to plan his development.
Ward explained what he would like to see in the next hire.
“Someone who can do everything from top to bottom, and it’s both sides of the ball,” Ward said in October. “Offense, defense, they know the system inside and out. And I think the biggest thing is how the coach is going to be with the players. How is he going to work with the locker room? You have all kinds of different people in our locker room. And whoever we get, I know they’re going to be the right hire.”
Borgonzi, who was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs last January, has seen what it’s like to have a middle manager. That’s what longtime coach Andy Reid has done for the Chiefs, leading to Super Bowl wins the past six seasons. While Borgonzi has vowed not to let his “Kansas City bias” dictate who he picks as the Titans coach, he is using some of the things he’s learned from his 16 years there.
“It’s about having a clear vision, and having values in what you do,” said Borgonzi. “Also, having that person I’m not afraid of conflicting in an inappropriate way, but being able to hold people accountable is the biggest thing, in the whole structure.
The lights went out as Mike Borgonzi answered his first question. pic.twitter.com/5UddawhUQk
– TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) January 6, 2026
“And that person ultimately has to connect everybody in the building, too. So you have to have that balance of looking for, connecting people in the building, and just bringing people together. So those are the big things that we’re really looking for. Obviously, they have to have a strategic view in terms of philosophy and X’s and O’s as well.”
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh seems to fit the type of leader Borgonzi mentioned. Saleh’s first stint as head coach with the New York Jets did not go well, resulting in a 20-36 record before he returned to San Francisco in a defensive coordinator role. But Saleh learned from that. Despite his focus on defense, Saleh has made an effort to better connect with the 49ers team as a whole.
Saleh’s defense has been a key factor in the 49ers’ run to the playoffs despite key injuries to Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner and running back Nick Bosa. So, it’s clear that he’s on point from a programming perspective. Imagine Saleh creating ways to harass opposing offenses with Simmons and a young, up-and-coming linebacker in Cedric Gray.
Chiefs coordinator Matt Nagy will also step in for the job, given his relationship with Borgonzi and his contribution to the development of former Hall of Fame player Patrick Mahomes. Nagy learned directly from Reid in all but three of his 18 seasons in the NFL. His career as the Chicago Bears coach began with an NFC North division title and Coach of the Year honors in 2018, but after back-to-back 8-8 seasons and a 6-11 record in 2021, he was fired.
In terms of programming, Nagy is Ward’s equal. Nagy incorporated many of the Western criminal concepts he learned from Reid. But he added his own twist to include run-pass options (RPOs) that allow the quarterback to make decisions based on how the defense reacts. Nagy used both zone blocking and gap blocking schemes to set up deep play action passes.
Nagy also adopted Hall of Fame coach Don Coryell’s emphasis on direct passing, movement and creating mismatches that had been masterminded by Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts – who passed for more than 4,000 yards in three straight seasons (1979-1981).
These are all concepts that Ward had great success with while in college.
“I have a good relationship with him [Nagy],” said Borgonzi. “I worked with him for years. I thought he did great things in Chicago, and he did a lot of great things when he came back to Kansas City.”
The roster of interns continued to grow as the recruiting cycle deepened — however, they had to come off John Harbaugh’s list after agreeing to take over the opening for the New York Giants. Tennessee has already satisfied the Rooney Rule requirements by conducting personal interviews with two minority candidates, former Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris and former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.
The timing of the hire is uncertain, but given the possibility that candidates like Saleh, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula are still alive in the playoffs, things could be moving.
Although time is running out, Borgonzi and the Titans are in no rush to make a decision.
“There is no timetable,” Borggonzi said. “I think we have to make the best decision for this team. So it’s going to take a long time to find the best person.”
