The Tennessee Titans cast a wide net in their search for a new head coach, and after weeks of interviews, they landed on San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. In all, the Titans spoke with 15 candidates. One of them was former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, who recently pulled back the curtain on what the entire process was like.

“Great experience,” Garrett said, appearing on the Dan Patrick Show. “Really like Mike Borgonzi, their general manager; Dave Ziegler is their assistant general manager, Reggie McKenzie is there, and Chad Brinker—really good guys. I went down there, and the interview was supposed to be from 9 to 12. We went from about 9:15 to close to 3:00.”

“So, you know, plenty of time to talk about football and a vision for the team,” he added. “But are you thinking the longer it goes, like, if it’s only going to go three hours and now it goes close to six hours, in your mind, are you going to call your wife and you say man, I killed it, you know?”

Garrett didn’t land the job, but he certainly gained some valuable insights.

He was quick to point out that the six-hour interview wasn’t some sign that he thought he had the job locked up. It wasn’t about impressing anyone. It was about football. He explained that several former general managers were in the room, and the conversation just kept going. Different ideas, shared philosophies, and plenty of back-and-forth on how to build a team the right way.

Given how exhaustive the Titans’ search turned out to be, it’s not surprising an interview ran that long. Tennessee clearly treated this as a defining decision that could shape the direction of the franchise for years. They didn’t choose Garrett in the end, but it’s clear he came away impressed with how thorough and deliberate the organization was.

Garrett, of course, knows the job. He spent nearly a decade as the Cowboys’ head coach, taking over in 2010 and staying through the 2019 season. He finished with an 85–67 record, reached the postseason three times, and went 2–3 in playoff games. These days, he’s a commentator for NBC Sports. His last on-field role came as offensive coordinator of the New York Giants (2020-21).

That gap probably mattered. In a search filled with candidates who have been deeply involved in the league more recently, Garrett’s resume probably didn’t carry the same weight. It’s not hard to see why he didn’t rise to the top of the list.

The Titans also interviewed a long list of well-known names, including Matt Nagy, Steve Spagnuolo, Vance Joseph, Brian Daboll, Kevin Stefanski, and Jonathan Gannon. In the end, it came down to in-person meetings with Nagy and Saleh. They chose the latter.

And Garrett has a message for the Titans’ new head coach.

Jason Garrett’s subtle hint to Robert Saleh

The Tennessee Titans finished 3–14, sat at the bottom of the AFC South, missed the playoffs again, and ranked 29th in DVOA. And yet, even with all of that, the head coaching job in Tennessee still has real appeal. Jason Garrett hinted at that appeal when he talked about the roster. It sounded like a quiet message to Robert Saleh.

“In a lot of ways, there’s a blank canvas down there,” Garrett said. “A really good young quarterback, an elite defensive player playing defensive line for him.”

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That “blank canvas” line sums them up pretty well. This roster isn’t boxed in by expectations. There’s room to build, to shape things from the ground up. How far it goes will depend almost entirely on how the next head coach develops the young core and puts them in a position to grow.

It starts with rookie quarterback Cam Ward. He was raw this season, but there were enough flashes to believe he could become the long-term answer. Ward also made it clear early on that he wanted a voice in the head coaching process, which says something about how the organization views him.

“I want to meet all of them,” Ward said. “Every coach who gets the opportunity to come here, I want to have conversations throughout the process with them. I’m going to be here for that whole time.

Ward completed 59.8 percent of his passes, threw 15 touchdowns against seven interceptions, and played all 17 games. He also took a league-high 55 sacks, which tells you how steep the learning curve was. Still, the traits are obvious. The arm strength jumps off the screen, and his mobility gives the offense another dimension.

His first NFL touchdown, against the Los Angeles Rams, traveled 30.4 yards horizontally, the longest touchdown pass on the run since 2016. Clean up the footwork, speed up the processing, and protect him a little better, and he’d be a force. Pair that with the right head coach, and there’s something to work with here. That’s the challenge in front of Robert Saleh.