Chad Brinker, president of football operations for the Tennessee Titans, announced his departure Tuesday, marking another significant organizational shift for the NFL franchise as it attempts to stabilize its front office and reverse a steep performance decline.
Brinker, who joined the Titans in 2023 and was promoted to his executive role the following year, departs after overseeing a 12-39 record during his tenure, including consecutive 3-14 seasons. His exit comes just months after the franchise restructured its leadership hierarchy in January 2026 to clarify decision-making authority ahead of hiring head coach Robert Saleh.
The Organizational Realignment
In January, the Titans streamlined the roles for Brinker and general manager Mike Borgonzi as the team prepared to hire Robert Saleh as head coach. The restructuring was designed to establish clearer accountability: Borgonzi would serve as general manager "in the most traditional sense — pick and support the players, oversee the coaching staff — while Chad will continue to lead everything else about the football team," according to controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk's statement at the time.
Brinker acknowledged in his departure statement that the restructured role had shifted his focus away from personnel decisions. "Over the years, I've understood and embraced my role as the leader of the football strategy, but as I've spent less time in personnel, I have a renewed conviction that it is time to return to what I love and move towards my next chapter," Brinker said Tuesday.
Leadership Continuity Under Borgonzi
Borgonzi, who led the search that culminated in hiring Saleh, will now assume broader responsibility for the franchise's football operations. With Borgonzi leading the Titans' draft room, Tennessee selected Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate with the No. 4 overall pick in last week's NFL draft, signaling the team's commitment to building through the amateur talent pipeline under clearer organizational structure.
Strunk expressed appreciation for Brinker's contributions while acknowledging the necessity of his departure. "When we first met Chad, it was clear he was an exceptional talent with deep knowledge of the game and the ability to connect big-picture strategy to execution," Strunk said. "While it is difficult to lose him, I understand his decision and will do whatever I can to support him."
The leadership transition reflects the Titans' effort to establish sustainable governance after years of disappointing results. The franchise has now consolidated decision-making authority under Borgonzi's general manager role while bringing in Saleh to lead coaching operations, a structure designed to eliminate the ambiguity that may have contributed to the organization's recent struggles.
Why This Matters:
The Titans' continued executive turnover underscores the organizational instability that has plagued the franchise. A 12-39 record over three years represents a significant failure of strategic leadership and player evaluation—the core functions of a professional sports organization. The January restructuring, while intended to clarify roles and improve accountability, evidently did not align with Brinker's professional goals, suggesting potential friction within the newly reorganized framework. With Borgonzi now holding consolidated authority over personnel and coaching staff oversight, the franchise has effectively bet its recovery on a single decision-maker's competence. The success of this streamlined structure—and the Saleh hiring—will determine whether the Titans can reverse course or face further instability. For an organization that has invested significant resources in recent years, continued executive departures raise questions about whether fundamental governance problems persist beneath surface-level restructuring.