Titans fire GM Ran Carthon after two seasons despite big spending spree

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans hired general manager Ran Carthon to work with a veteran head coach fired last January. On Tuesday, Carthon paid the price for a 9-25 record over two seasons.

Now the Titans face a pivotal offseason after three straight losing seasons cost two general managers and a coach their jobs. They hold the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft on April 24 while building a $2.2 billion enclosed stadium due to open for the 2027 season.

Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk made clear her disappointment over the win-loss record. Her franchise posted six straight winning seasons between 2016 and 2021, posting a 59-38 record that tied for eighth in the NFL with a .608 winning percentage. During that span, the Titans won two AFC South titles, went to the AFC title game in January 2020 and earned the AFC's No. 1 seed in 2021.

Since then, the Titans are 16-35 — tied with Arizona for the third-worst winning percentage at .314.

Staying the course wasn't a long-term option for Strunk.

“To our fans: we know this level of performance isn’t acceptable," Strunk said in her statement.

She fired general manager Jon Robinson in December 2022. The new GM will help decide what the Titans do with their fourth overall No. 1 pick since the NFL-AFL merger. Chad Brinker, president of football operations, will lead the GM search and also have full roster control — breaking any ties in decisions.

Strunk also said Brian Callahan will continue as head coach after losing the final six games and eight of nine to finish his first season. The 14 losses matched the 2014 season for the most losses since leaving Texas for Tennessee in 1997. The team has had the No. 1 overall pick once since then, and Robinson traded it for a haul of selections for his first NFL draft in 2016.

Burke Nihill, the Titans’ president and CEO, said it's a frustrating reality for fans and Strunk alike. He said Carthon was hired for a specific role to work with an experienced head coach in Mike Vrabel who was fired two days after the 2023 season ended with a 6-11 record.

“He fit that skill set really, really well,” Nihill said of Carthon. "And where we find ourselves today, we are looking for a general manager that has a different experience and skill set.”

Carthon, also given the title of executive vice president last year, helped with the search that hired Callahan, a first-time head coach and offensive play-caller.

Then Carthon oversaw an offseason where Tennessee was among the NFL’s biggest spenders. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley finished with 1,017 yards receiving, and running back Tony Pollard ran for 1,079 yards and five touchdowns. Carthon also traded a pick to Kansas City for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who played five games before landing on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury that required bone marrow injections.

Center Lloyd Cushenberry started eight games before suffering an Achilles tendon injury as injuries again took a toll.

Brinker, hired in February 2023 after 13 seasons with Green Bay, was promoted to president of football operations last year in a new position for Tennessee. He said the Titans want a GM who has been a scout and evaluator that has helped set draft boards for winning franchises. That person will have day-to-day responsibility over the roster and coaching staff.

Spotrac.com ranks Tennessee 10th in the NFL with nearly $65 million in projected salary cap space. That combined with the No. 1 pick among eight current draft selections gives the Titans plenty of flexibility.

Brinker said they want to draft and develop players, then make sure they don't leave. Only a handful of Titans players from that six-season winning stretch signed extensions, including left tackle Taylor Lewan, five-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry, two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, outside linebacker Harold Landry, safety Amani Hooker and two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons.

“We need someone that really understands not only how to identify talent, but really how to build a roster, the total big picture of how it all works together," Brinker said.

Callahan was hired to develop Will Levis in his second season. Now the 33rd overall pick in 2023 is the Titans' only quarterback under contract for 2025, and he dealt with an injury to his throwing shoulder. He started 12 games while being benched at one point with 18 of the Titans’ 34 giveaways. The coach said Monday that Levis will have competition for the starting job in 2025 through a combination of free agency and the draft.

First, the Titans have to hire a new general manager for what Brinker said is a very attractive job already drawing “impressive” inquiries.

“We do have the first pick," Brinker said. "It is a pivotal moment critical for us to get this right. So I think this will be very attractive to a lot of guys out there.”

AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team's training facility Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon watches the team warm up before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force on Wednesday after setting off a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke.

Flames broke out on Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of LA while another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood. A third wildfire started around 10:30 p.m. and prompted evacuations in Sylmar, the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. The causes of all three fires were under investigation.

Here's the latest:

Evacuating a wildfire area can be scary, but experts say people can significantly improve their own safety with a little preparation and common sense.

Creating a wildfire action plan, packing a “go bag” and maintaining basic situational awareness during evacuations can make a big difference when escaping a disaster, Jesse Torres, a battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.

But the most important tip? Don’t wait around for an evacuation order, Torres said.

“The biggest thing is to get out early, before the notifications come out. It’s so important to avoid the congestion,” he said.

The morning sky is lightening, and soon the scope of the devastation will be more clear. Some hillsides are glowing from the scattered fires.

Generally, it starts in June or July and runs through October, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.

However, January wildfires are not unprecedented — there was one in 2022 and 10 in 2021, according to CalFire.

Recent data shows the season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change. That means rains that usually end fire season are often delayed and fires can burn through the winter months as a result, the association says.

The National Weather Service is receiving reports of winds up to 80 mph (129 kph) this morning. They could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills and include areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.

Red flag warnings are highlighting extremely critical fire weather conditions. Those include exceptionally dry relative humidity levels, according to Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist with the weather service.

He says the winds are expected to continue into Thursday, too, “providing very little in terms of any relief.”

Sunrise is in a little over an hour.

Overnight, the images were stark: The skeleton of a Christmas tree was framed in a blazing window in the Pacific Palisades.

Opulent homes collapsed in a whirlwind of flaming embers.

The tops of palm trees whipped against the glowing red sky.

Vast clouds of smoke dwarfed the water dumped by helicopters attempting to calm the flames.

The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

People flee from the advancing Palisades Fire, by car and on foot, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

A car travels down East Mendocino Street as a wildfire burns in the hills near Eaton Canyon, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Water is dropped on the advancing Palisades Fire by helicopter in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Residents of a senior center are evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Residents of a senior center are evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

The Eaton Fire burns vehicles and structures Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

The Palisades Fire burns a Christmas tree inside a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)