Quarterback Cam Ward might have just arrived in Nashville this April, but he understands how unstable the Tennessee Titans organization has been. Ward was not a part of the 3-14 finish in 2024 that gave Tennessee the right to draft him, but he understands another bad year could end in coach Brian Callahan's firing.
The rookie passer is determined to make sure that does not happen.
Cam Ward knows he's playing for Brian Callahan's job
We all knew that the level of scrutiny on Callahan would be heightened by the horrendous performance of his team the first year in Tennessee.
One could argue that drafting a quarterback No. 1 overall for a coach who calls the offensive plays drives that up to the highest degree. Ward is the ninth quarterback to be selected first in a draft class since 2015. Four of those quarterbacks (Jameis Winston 2015, Trevor Lawrence 2021, Bryce Young 2023, Caleb Williams 2024) were drafted by coaches who did not make it to a second season with the passer they selected.
Ward isn't interested in seeing Callahan and his staff fall victim to that semi-trend.
"I just think (Callahan)'s going to put me in the best position to succeed," said Ward after Day 2 of joint training camp practices with the Atlanta Falcons. "That's for my quarterback coach, Coach Bo (Hardegree) and OC Coach Nick (Holz). I'm trying to play as long as I can for Tennessee with those three guys at the helm. Those guys, they continuously give me feedback, even when I don't want feedback. They continuously get me better when I ask questions, they answer every question to the little details as much as I need it.
"I'm blessed to have those three in the same room with me. They push me to be great. I want to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and I just think the more that we continuously build our relationship, us three, Coach Callahan continuously getting to know what I like on the field and me also being smart with the ball, gaining that trust every day for him to have those playcalls where he wants to go deep or run quick game. I just think it will help all three of us out in the long run. "
Its as expansive of a quote as Ward has ever given in a press conference setting.
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk has put her organization in a constant state of flux with three consecutive offseasons firing either a general manager (Jon Robinson 2023, Ran Carthon 2025) or a coach (Mike Vrabel 2024). A lack of patience and concise planning cratered Tennessee from being one of the foremost contending powers in the AFC from 2019-2021 to the worst team in football last season. No one knows what Strunk will do with Callahan ahead of a season that figures to very much be a rebuild around Ward, nor should she be trusted to do the right thing until she proves otherwise.
Any consideration to firing Callahan during or after Ward's rookie season will only sets progress back even further and undermines the potential face of the franchise.
