The Tennessee Titans introduced new General Manager Mike Borgonzi to the media on Wednesday while answering some of the questions that are top of mind for every fan.
Titans President of Football Operations Chad Brinker was present for the press conference and also conducted a private media session that was not open to video or audio recording.
After attending both events, I feel I have a lot more clarity on the structure of the Titans' new front office and the hierarchy within the organization. I also have a better idea of the team's philosophy when it comes to the next phase of roster building.
Here are my biggest takeaways from Borgonzi's introductory press conference and the conversations I had with Chad Brinker.
1. Mike Borgonzi will be in control of the roster
There has been a lot of speculation and confusion about what the Titans' new front office structure is going to look like. We have seen conflicting reports about whether Borgonzi or Brinker will be the one controlling roster moves. The Titans cleared that up on Wednesday.
Borgonzi's primary responsibility is to build the roster. He will manage the scouts and the coaching staff while evaluating players and putting together a winning team. When the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around, it will be Borgonzi who is making the draft picks.
Brinker will be focused on a lot of the non-football responsibilities that typically rest on the shoulders of a GM. Borgonzi will report to Brinker as part of the organization's hierarchy. While Brinker is expected to weigh in on roster decisions and be involved in those processes, his goal is to allow Borgonzi to do what he feel is best and be a "tiebreaker" if many people in the organization do not see something the same way.
One note of interest is that Brinker had no desire to have "final roster control." That was what Amy Adams Strunk wanted, but Brinker's intention is for Borgonzi to be building the team.
This is no different than the structure the Titans already had in place with Ran Carthon as the GM. Tennessee just feels Borgonzi is going to be better equipped for the role than Carthon was.
2. The Titans will be less aggressive in free agency moving forward
We heard a lot about the "draft and develop" plan that the Titans want to implement moving forward. Chad Brinker told me that he felt the team had not been as disciplined as they needed to be in the past, particular pointing to free agency as an area that needs improvement.
Both Brinker and Borgonzi believe in building a winning team from the ground up. The Titans will want to draft well, develop those players, and not be too loose with how they spend money in free agency.
Brinker emphasized the importance of getting the "right veteran players" in the building when they do dish out money. The Titans are looking for leadership and single out homegrown stars Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry III as examples of leaders who are more loyal to the organization because they were drafted, developed, and paid by one team.
I'm anticipating the Titans to pump the brakes on spending big in free agency, especially after so many of their 2024 acquisitions flopped.
3. Generational talent vs. Trade back
Brinker mentioned in his media availability that the Titans will not pass on a generational talent with the 1st overall pick if there's one available. Later in the day, Borgonzi hinted at the possibility of trading down.
“When there’s an opportunity to trade back and collect more picks, we’re going to do that," said Borgonzi. He added that he has already received calls form teams interested in trading up.
The big questions the Titans will have to answer: Is there a generational talent in this class and does it matter what position that player plays?
I think there's an argument to be made that the closest thing to a generational talent we have in the 2025 draft class is CB/WR Travis Hunter. But does Tennessee's need for a quarterback and edge rusher override the uniqueness of Hunter's abilities?
I felt like Borgonzi contradicted some of what Brinker said during his press conference, so this got my attention as something to monitor as the draft gets closer. Overall, I would say that I'm not reading too much into the statement about generational talents. What organization would identify a "generational talent" and the pass up an opportunity to draft that player?
