Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon. George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ran Carthon's promotion validates reported power struggle with Mike Vrabel

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 1/24/24

Three weeks after firing former head coach Mike Vrabel, there’s no question about who’s calling the shots for the Tennessee Titans now.

The team announced on Wednesday morning that Ran Carthon had been promoted to executive vice president/general manager with controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk releasing a statement fully endorsing the second-year GM as a Titans authority figure.

“Over the past year, Ran has impressed me and our staff with his innovative approach to roster building,” Adams Strunk said. “…By expanding his role to include full roster control and oversight of the coaching staff, our organization will now benefit more completely from Ran’s unique ability to build and lead a championship-caliber football team.”

Carthon’s promotion appears to validate the numerous reports that had come out over the last two months hinting at a power struggle between himself and Vrabel, despite the latter saying there was no truth to any of the reports.

In the last 24 hours, four media members (of varying degrees of respectability) bring up #Titans HC Mike Vrabel being traded, wanting out, and/or on unstable ground with Ran Carthon.

- Dan Graziano
- Jeremy Fowler
- Chad Forbes
- Jason La Canfora

Add them to a growing list… pic.twitter.com/saT4zosrmm
— Football & Other F Words (@FWordsPod) January 3, 2024

During Carthon’s introductory news conference last year, he, Vrabel and Adams Strunk were all adamant there wouldn’t be a traditional owner-GM-head coach hierarchy. All three stated stating that both Carthon and Vrabel would report directly to Adams Strunk, and there was no clear answer on who ultimately had more say over the Titans roster.

As Tennessee heads into its most important offseason in recent memory, it’s not clear that Carthon gets to do things his way without any objections from his subordinates. His track record in San Francisco, where he helped build one of the top rosters in the NFL that included 24 Pro Bowl selections during his tenure, proves he’s more than up to the task.

With the 49ers, Carthon ran the team’s pro scouting department and oversaw free agency, trades and waiver claims. He had a hand in the team trading for Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams, as well as using late-round draft picks on All-Pro tight end George Kittle, All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, running back Elijah Mitchell and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.

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