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Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk restructures Mike Borgonzi, Chad Brinker roles
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- Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk restructures Mike Borgonzi, Chad Brinker roles
The Tennessee Titans are restructuring the roles of general manager Mike Borgonzi and president of football operations Chad Brinker in the front office ahead of the team's upcoming search for a new coach.
In a letter issued and signed by controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk , the Titans announced on Jan. 2 that Borgonzi will be given full control and final say over the 53-man roster and report directly to Adams Strunk instead of Brinker. Borgonzi also will be put in charge of the coaching search, rather than co-piloting the endeavor with Brinker, as was originally announced.
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These changes are the result of conversations initiated by Brinker and Borgonzi, and were approved by Adams Strunk. They will retain their current titles.
This restructure upends the arrangement announced when Borgonzi was hired in January 2025. Brinker, who spearheaded the search to hire Borgonzi, was granted final say on roster matters despite Borgonzi being the chief football executive who was in charge of putting the roster together. In the original flow chart, Borgonzi reported to Brinker, who reported to Adams Strunk.
"A few weeks ago, Chad and Mike approached me to discuss their evaluation of the past season," Adams Strunk said in her letter. "Over the past few years, several job descriptions in our football organization were established to address specific situations and challenges that existed at the time. After working together for the past year, they believe ― and I agree ― there is a benefit to clarifying and honing the focus areas of our football leadership.
"For that reason, we're returning to a front office that feels more straightforward to them and to me. Going forward, Mike will serve as general manager in the most traditional sense: pick and support the players, oversee the coaching staff. Chad will continue to lead everything else about the football team. For example, Mike will manager the 53-man roster and lead the head coach search. Chad will continue to serve as president of football operations, leading strategic functions including salary cap management, analytics, research and development and other football departments."
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Under the previous power dynamic, Brinker owned "veto" power in situations where he, Borgonzi and the head coach couldn't come to an agreement. Those roster powers, as well as any other decision-making powers regarding player acquisition, will now belong to Borgonzi as the GM.
The Titans hired Borgonzi to replace former GM Ran Carthon after the 2024 season. Brinker, a Carthon hire, was elevated from assistant GM in 2023 to president of football operations in 2024, a role he retained after hiring Borgonzi. Borgonzi was designated as chief football executive and was cited as the decision maker in the process that led to the Titans selecting quarterback Cam Ward first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now Borgonzi leads the search — with input from Brinker and others — for a coach to replace Brian Callahan, who was fired in October amid a 1-5 start.
The Titans are 3-13 heading into the final game of the season, a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) at EverBank Stadium on Jan. 4 (noon CT, FOX).
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Who is Mike Borgonzi?
Borgonzi, a Massachusetts native and former Brown University fullback, worked his way through 16 years up the Kansas City Chiefs organization. He served as the assistant GM from 2021 to 2024, and previously held roles including director of player personnel and director of football operations.
In his first year as Titans GM, Borgonzi used draft picks to select Ward, defensive backs Kevin Winston Jr. and Marcus Harris , and pass catchers Elic Ayomanor , Chimere Dike and Gunnar Helm , all of whom were quick contributors. Thirteen of the 27 touchdowns the Titans have scored were by rookies.
Other Borgonzi Year 1 acquisitions included offensive linemen Dan Moore Jr. and Kevin Zeitler , linebacker Cody Barton and pass rusher Jihad Ward . He initiated several trades during the season, shipping off defenders Jarvis Brownlee Jr. , Roger McCreary and Dre'Mont Jones in exchange for draft picks and pick swaps.
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Who is Chad Brinker?
Before his time with the Titans, Brinker worked in Green Bay 's scouting department from 2009 to 2022. A longtime scout, he worked his way through the building to have hands in the salary cap and football administration departments. While working with the Packers, he also earned his MBA.
In his initial role with the Titans, Brinker was tasked with advancing departments the organization perceived to be lacking, including a push to more effectively use analytics, and an exploration into how and why repeat injuries seemed to plague the team.
Titans coaching search timeline
The Titans can begin requesting interviews with candidates from other NFL teams once the regular season concludes. NFL teams may begin interviewing candidates virtually in the days before the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Titans may begin interviewing candidates on Jan. 7, but varying rules limit how available candidates are depending on a candidate's employer's postseason status.
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In-person interviews with candidates employed by teams eliminated from Super Bowl contention can begin after the second round of the playoffs. Candidates from teams that advance to the Super Bowl are available to be interviewed in the week between the conference championship games and Super Bowl.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com . Follow Nick on X @nicksuss . Subscribe to the Talkin' Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans restructure front office roles, who will lead coaching search
