Jordan Raanan
Multiple Authors
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants are hiring former Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan as their quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, sources told ESPN.
Callahan, 41, also interviewed for the position of offensive coordinator with the Giants. That job went to former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator and Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy.
It now gives John Harbaugh a wealth of experience on a newly minted offensive staff that includes two former NFL head coaches in Nagy and Callahan, a former college head coach in offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren, and two other former offensive coordinators in senior offensive assistant Greg Roman and tight ends coach Tim Kelly.
Callahan was fired by the Titans in mid-October. He goes from working with last year’s first overall pick Cam Ward to the second quarterback selected in the draft, Jaxson Dart. Coincidentally, former Giants head coach Brian Daboll is now coaching Ward as the offensive coordinator in Tennessee.
Before he was the Titans’ head coach, Callahan had a long history of success working with quarterbacks. He spent two years as Matthew Stafford’s quarterback coach with the Detroit Lions, a year with Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders, and four seasons as the offensive coordinator for Joe Burrow with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Between Callahan, Nagy and Roman, they have spent recent years coaching Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Burrow and Justin Herbert.
Callahan went 4-19 as a head coach with the Titans, including 1-5 this past season with Ward. Their offense scored only 83 points through six games, the franchise’s fewest through six games since 1985, according to ESPN Research.
The frustration boiled over in Week 3 at Nissan Stadium during a 41-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Fans booed the Titans as they went into the locker room at halftime and chanted “Fire Callahan” at various times during the game.
Callahan turned playcalling duties over to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree before being fired. He also wasn’t the primary playcaller in Cincinnati.
Now, he will return back to his roots coaching quarterbacks. The Giants quarterbacks room currently has Dart and veteran Jameis Winston under contract. Russell Wilson is set to be a free agent.
In addition to coaching quarterbacks, Callahan will be in charge of the Giants’ passing game, and Roman is expected to play a significant role in the team’s run-game design under Nagy in New York’s new offensive setup. It’s all part of Harbaugh’s plan to set up a strong supporting cast for Dart in his second professional season.
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