Titans’ Brian Callahan Becomes First NFL Coach to Hire Father to Staff

The Tennessee Titans named Brian Callahan the franchise’s new head coach earlier this offseason, and it didn’t take long for the former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator to bring in a familiar face in what was a historic hire on Thursday.

Callahan reportedly relieved offensive line coach Jason Houghtaling of his duties, paving the way for the Titans to hire his father, Bill Callahan, to fill that role. In doing so, he became the first NFL coach to hire his own father to his coaching staff, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Bill, 67, is a widely respected positional coach among NFL circles. He spent the past four seasons as the offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns, but made a lateral move in order to work on his son’s coaching staff in Tennessee. He previously served as the Raiders’ head coach in 2002 and 2003, and was the interim head coach in Washington following the departure of Jay Gruden in 2019.

The Titans’ job is Brian’s first shot as a head coach in the NFL, and he’s added one of the most experienced assistants in the business to his staff, one with whom he’s plenty familiar.