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Afternoon Edition

October 13, 2025

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The Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan after a 1–5 start—the NFL’s first coaching change of the season and another sign of Tennessee’s ongoing front-office instability.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Daniel Roberts [[link removed]], Dennis Young [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Titans Turnover: Brian Callahan Firing Adds to Pattern of Instability [[link removed]]

The Tennessean

The Titans became the first NFL team to fire their head coach this season, letting go of Brian Callahan after a 1–5 start, and just 23 games in charge of the team (he exits with a 4–19 overall record).

The quick trigger from Tennessee controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk increases the organization’s recent high-turnover rate. Since December 2022, the Titans have made eight hirings and firings involving the head coach position and front office:

December 2022

GM Jon Robinson fired

January 2023

Ran Carthon hired as GM

January 2024

Head coach Mike Vrabel fired Assistant GM Chad Brinker promoted to president of football operations Brian Callahan hired as head coach

January 2025

GM Ran Carthon fired Mike Borgonzi hired as GM

October 2025

Head coach Brian Callahan fired

The Titans are 17–40 dating back to the 2022 season. Under the most recent structure, Callahan reported to Borgonzi, who reports to Brinker, who has full control of the roster and reports directly to Strunk. Brinker joined Tennessee in 2023, and he worked under Carthon for one year.

Unfortunate Timing

Callahan’s firing and the impending search for a new head coach come as the Titans look to capitalize on momentum around rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft [[link removed]], and the team’s new $2.2 billion domed stadium [[link removed]] that is set to open in 2027.

Unless Tennessee makes a surprising turnaround this season, its new head coach will be tasked with leading the franchise to its first winning record since 2021, when Vrabel oversaw a 12–5 team that earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC, before being eliminated by the Bengals in the divisional round of the playoffs.

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CBS Sports, TNT Sports Under One Roof? Paramount Eyes WBD [[link removed]]

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

A potential media mega-merger is under active discussion, but plenty of questions remain about bringing together the parent companies of CBS Sports and TNT Sports.

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has approached Warner Bros. Discovery about acquiring all of the company, according to industry sources and multiple reports. Bloomberg put a number [[link removed]] on an original takeover offer, reporting that WBD rejected a bid of roughly $20 per share for being too low. That price is only a small premium on WBD’s current trading price of about $18 per share.

That’s hardly the end of the story, however, as Ellison still has multiple options going forward, including raising the bid, either alone or with additional financial backers, or appealing directly to WBD shareholders.

Appearing last week at a Bloomberg conference, Ellison declined to address directly any interest in WBD, but he spoke more broadly about the opportunity for greater scale and consolidation in the media business.

“There’s a lot of options out there in terms of what actually might be actionable in the near future,” Ellison said. “We would approach that through the lens of wanting to make more, not less.”

A Paramount-WBD deal, should it happen, would create an industry colossus with extensive reach across broadcast and cable television and streaming, and live game rights to nearly every major U.S. sports property, outside of the NBA. There is already some interplay between the two companies, as they have collaborated for years on March Madness coverage.

“Ironically, it was [WBD CEO] David Zaslav last year that said, ‘You know, consolidation in the media business is important.’ And the way we approach everything is, first and foremost, what’s good for the talent community, what’s good for our shareholders and value creation, and what’s good for basically storytelling at large,” Ellison said.

Beyond pricing and core terms, however, there are other financial obstacles. WBD’s market capitalization of about $44 billion is more than twice the comparable value for Paramount. Ellison, meanwhile, would need to agree to take on WBD’s current debt load of about $35 billion.

Broader Context

The Paramount interest arrives amid significant change unfolding for both companies. Under Ellison, Skydance Media this past summer completed an $8 billion merger with Paramount [[link removed]] to create the current company, but only after agreeing to several conditions imposed by the Federal Communications Commission and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Those conditions, including the installation of an ombudsman within CBS News, have sparked widespread criticism. Just before that deal closed, Paramount reached a $16 million legal settlement with Trump [[link removed]] regarding complaints he made about a 60 Minutes interview with 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

WBD, meanwhile, is on track to separate into two publicly traded companies [[link removed]], with the bulk of the sports operations headed to a forthcoming Discovery Global. That plan, set for completion in mid-2026, is far enough along that TNT Sports is developing its own streaming service [[link removed]] apart from HBO Max.

Any deal with Paramount, or anyone else, would need to create a path superior to the one contemplated in the WBD separation, and it’s likely that Zaslav and WBD still hold significant leverage.

Penn State Says Adidas Had No Role in James Franklin Firing or Buyout [[link removed]]

Penn State

When Penn State announced the stunning firing of football coach James Franklin on Sunday, it raised two obvious questions:

How much money did the school owe Franklin?

And where was that money coming from?

The first remains imprecise, as Penn State enjoys a broad exemption [[link removed]] from Pennsylvania’s laws around government transparency. Unlike nearly every other public university of its stature, Penn State’s sports contracts are not a matter of public record, and Penn State’s athletic department has declined to disclose any new information about Franklin’s contract.

The most recent reporting on Franklin’s contract is that the school would owe him $49.7 million [[link removed]] if he was fired without cause. But much remains unknown about that sum. Many coaching contracts include offsets if the coach finds a new job, and some include a “duty to mitigate,” meaning the fired coach must at least try to find new employment. It’s also unclear over what period of time the sum is owed, although the Associated Press reported Sunday [[link removed]] that Franklin will be owed at least $8 million a year over the next six years.

Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft declined to provide any details about Franklin’s contract in a press conference Monday. “I’m not going to get into the financials. What I will tell you about the buyout … this is an athletics issue, this is not the institution’s issue,” Kraft said [[link removed]]. “We in athletics are covering all the costs.” Beyond that, he gave no detailed information.

The school did give Front Office Sports a firm on-the-record denial of one claim that was widely circulated [[link removed]] this weekend: that Adidas pushed the school to fire Franklin, and will cover most of the buyout cost.

“The report is patently false,” a Penn State spokesperson told FOS. “This decision was made solely by the Penn State administration. Adidas is not helping to pay the buyout for Coach Franklin.”

Adidas, when asked for comment, deferred to Penn State.

Franklin’s 12-year tenure in State College abruptly ended after a stunning upset loss to Northwestern on Saturday night. It was the Nittany Lions’ second straight loss in a game where they were favored by more than 20 points and third straight loss this season, ending a shocking slide after making the College Football Playoff semifinal last season.

Franklin won 104 games at Penn State, behind only Joe Paterno in school history, but was widely perceived to struggle in big games and rarely beat top-10 teams.

Meanwhile, after more than 30 years with Nike, Penn State announced a “transformational” deal with Adidas [[link removed]] last month that is widely reported to be a 10-year pact worth $300 million in cash and apparel. The school has not made the contract public, and it also hasn’t shared it with all of the trustees, drawing the ire of some trustees who believe [[link removed]] they are entitled to review it, FOS reported Saturday.

The deal with Adidas contains an unusual provision, seen by FOS, giving the school’s athletic director $500,000 annually in “product allotment,” separate from the $8 million annual product allotment earmarked for the athletic department.

Penn State deputy athletic director Leah Beasley told FOS that despite the wording, “It is for the discretion of the athletic department, it is not for Pat Kraft personally.” Adidas also called it “standard” in a statement to FOS.

Three current and former Power 4 athletic directors told FOS that such an allotment was not standard.

Both Penn State and Adidas denied requests to view the entire contract, which is set to begin July 1, 2026.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY What Franklin’s $50M Buyout Means for Penn State, CFB

FOS illustration

Penn State fired James Franklin over the weekend, granting him the second-largest buyout in college football history at nearly $50 million. Former Penn State tight end and college football analyst Adam Breneman joins Baker Machado and Renee Washington with his reaction to the news about his former coach, and why this made sense despite the massive buyout. Meanwhile, FOS newsletter writer David Rumsey explains why buyouts are becoming more common in college football.

Plus, the Las Vegas Aces are champions once again, but the conversation around the WNBA quickly shifts to collective bargaining talks, says FOS women’s sports reporter Annie Costabile. She joins with exclusive reporting around the details of the latest proposal, which the WNBA calls “very compelling.”

Also, Mark Sanchez speaks, the NBA takes a big step toward games in China, and Tiger Woods is getting another surgery.

Watch the full episode here. [[link removed]]

STATUS REPORT One Up, One Down, Two Push

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York Giants ⬇ The franchise is “bracing for a fine,” potentially a hefty one, as punishment for coach Brian Daboll entering the blue medical tent during Thursday’s game against the Eagles, as quarterback Jaxson Dart was being evaluated for a concussion. Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer reported the news Sunday [[link removed]].

Russell Westbrook ⬆⬇ The 2017 NBA MVP has yet to sign a contract for the 2025–26 season, but he is not looking to play internationally despite previous reports he could receive lucrative overseas offers, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. There is mutual interest between the Kings and Westbrook, who turns 37 next month.

Jessica Pegula ⬆⬇ The world No. 5 women’s tennis player fell to fellow American Coco Gauff at the Wuhan Open final Sunday, settling for a prize of $351,003 compared to the nearly $600,000 won by Gauff. However, Pegula’s runner-up finish was enough to secure the sixth of eight spots in the WTA Finals starting next month. The tournament has a $15.5 million purse with the winner eligible for around $5 million.

Korn Ferry Tour graduates ⬆ Neal Shipley, who gained notoriety [[link removed]] for playing in the 2024 Masters alongside Tiger Woods, highlights the 20 golfers who earned PGA Tour membership [[link removed]] Sunday, following the championship finale of the second-tier circuit’s season.

Conversation Starters Athlos hosted a long jump competition in the middle of Times Square. Check it out [[link removed]]. The bat dog for the Durham Bulls retrieves kickoff tees at NC State football games. Take a look [[link removed]]. Watch [[link removed]] the Nike ad for the Las Vegas Aces after they secured their third championship in four years. Editors’ Picks College Football Coach Firings Nearing $100M in Contract Buyouts [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]Two other coaches besides James Franklin were fired Sunday. How Indiana Quietly Became a Big Spender in Football [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Hoosiers are ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll, the highest in program history. Max Kellerman to Call TKO’s Zuffa Boxing on Paramount [[link removed]]by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]Kellerman called the Canelo Álvarez–Terence Crawford fight in September. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Daniel Roberts [[link removed]], Dennis Young [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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