No talk of 'mutiny' among Titans even as losses pile up under interim coach

The captains of the ship are safe from the crew.

The 1-11 Tennessee Titans have the worst record in the NFL, and are well on their way to earning the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after earning the same slot in the 2025 NFL Draft. It's been almost two months since interim coach Mike McCoy took over for fired coach Brian Callahan, and the Titans haven't added one win since. The Titans' 25-3 drubbing from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 30 marked nine straight divisional losses, 11 straight home losses and a notable step back after three close losses in a row built a little bit of optimism.

Now the Titans are officially eliminated from playoff contention with five games to go, and they've also clinched last place in the AFC South. So, with nothing tangible to play for, questions are flooding in about what the Titans have left to play for, and whether there's enough belief in and respect for McCoy's regime to keep pushing.

"I don’t necessarily think mutiny is the best option," guard Peter Skoronski said. "I think that’s just going to make things worse, and I don’t see that at all from this group."

The Titans visit the Cleveland Browns (3-9) at Huntington Bank Field on Dec. 7 (noon CT, FOX).

Speaking to reporters the day following the Jaguars loss, McCoy said he thinks the entire team is still doing an admirable job of working. He, Skoronski and linebacker Cody Barton all indicated they think the Titans still have things worth playing for, whether they're personal pride, respect for teammates, the love for the game or the opportunity to play spoiler in someone else's playoff hunt.

But anger and frustration are bubbling up. Barton said he woke up angry following the Jaguars loss. Skoronski said he can sense and feel frustration from just about everyone in the room, even if that frustration doesn't come with a 24-hours-a-day dark cloud for everybody. And players in the locker room postgame indicated leadership can be stronger from the top down and serious doubts can be cast about whether everyone in the team is fully committed to turning things around.

When asked about that matter, McCoy said he does believe everyone is steering in the same direction, and pointed to the growth of the rookie class as proof that leadership from veterans is trickling through the rest of the roster.

"Everyone wants to question that when you’re not winning," McCoy said. "It’s all about winning. But when you look at the way the guys work, they work their tails off. I think these guys do an outstanding job week in and week out of doing what it takes to go out and play on Sundays."

That sentiment, of course, isn't translating. The Titans will miss the NFL playoffs for the fourth year in a row, and there are plenty who've justifiably turned their attention to coaching searches and draft rumors rather than focusing on the on-field product.

Don't count the Titans players among that group, though.

"Player-wise, we’re not thinking about the first pick," Barton said. "We want to win a game. That’s our biggest goal. That’s our mindset. That’s what we want to do. There’s no thought about picks, this, that or next year. Our thought going into this week is just beating Cleveland. That’s what we want to do, and that’s what we’ve been chasing for a while now."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans not talking 'mutiny' as losses pile up under Mike McCoy