Tennessee Titans

Houston Oilers

After failed attempts to start an NFL expansion team in Houston, Texas, Bud Adams founded the Houston Oilers in 1959 as one of the eight charter members of the upstart American Football League (AFL) and a member of its Eastern Division. Beginning play at Jeppesen Stadium at the University of Houston, the team moved to Rice Stadium at Rice University in 1965. Led by quarterback George Blanda, who played with the team from 1960 to 1966, the Houston Oilers made it to each of the first three AFL championship games. The Oilers won the first two AFL championships, both against the San Diego Chargers, but lost the 1962 American Football League Championship Game 20–17 to the Dallas Texans, now Kansas City Chiefs, after double overtime. The Houston Oilers failed to post a winning season in the next six seasons, but in 1967, a 9–4–1 record returned the team to the AFL championship game where it lost 40–7 to the Oakland Raiders. The Houston Oilers moved into the Astrodome after the season, becoming the first professional football team to move into an indoor stadium. After failing to qualify for the AFL playoffs in 1968, the Oilers qualified the following season in 1969, but were eliminated in the divisional round by the Oakland Raiders in a 56–7 blowout.

Following the season, the AFL merged with the NFL in 1970, with the Houston Oilers being assigned to the new American Football Conference (AFC)'s Central division. The Houston Oilers failed to qualify for the NFL playoffs from 1970 to 1977, and posted one winning season in 1975. In 1978, the Houston Oilers selected running back Earl Campbell with the first overall pick in the 1978 NFL draft. Campbell led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances as a wildcard berth from 1978 to 1980. Campbell led the NFL in rushing yards and won the Offensive Player of the Year Award in each of those three seasons. The Oilers made it to the AFC championships in 1978 and 1979, but were defeated both times by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Houston Oilers failed to post a winning record between 1981 and 1986, a drought that ended when the Houston Oilers acquired quarterback Warren Moon in 1987. With Moon and Hall of Fame offensive linemen Mike Munchak and Bruce Matthews, the Houston Oilers made seven consecutive playoff appearances from 1987 to 1993. During the 1992–93 NFL playoffs, the Houston Oilers earned the dubious distinction of being on the losing end of what was then the biggest comeback in NFL history when in the divisional round, the Houston Oilers' third-quarter 32-point lead against the Buffalo Bills turned into a 41–38 loss in overtime. This remains the largest blown lead in playoff history. After the 1993 season, Moon was traded to the Minnesota Vikings and Munchak retired to begin a coaching career. The following season, the Oilers finished with a league-worst 2–14 season, and Jack Pardee was fired as head coach after a 1–9 start and was succeeded by Jeff Fisher. The following two seasons, the Oilers drafted quarterback Steve McNair and running back Eddie George respectively, who became franchise players over the next several years. The Oilers respectively went 7–9 and 8–8 in their final two seasons in Houston.

Tennessee Oilers

After the 1995 season, Bud Adams announced the move to Tennessee. A Nashville stadium for the Tennessee Oilers would not be ready until 1999, so the Tennessee Oilers planned to play two seasons at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was based in Nashville and commuted to Memphis, Tennessee for games.

Games in Memphis had some of the lowest NFL attendance since the 1950s. The first seven games of the season saw attendance below 27,000 people, and two games drew fewer than 18,000.

For the 1998 season, the Tennessee Oilers played their home games at the stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. That year, the team was in playoff contention until losing their last two games for another 8–8 record. The Tennessee Oilers were 6–2 in Nashville and 2–6 on the road.

Tennessee Titans

During the 1998 offseason, Adams appointed an advisory committee to decide on a new name for the Tennessee Oilers to coincide with the opening of their new stadium, which was renamed Nissan Stadium in 2015. On November 14, 1998, the new name of Tennessee Titans was unveiled. The name is a nod to how Nashville is nicknamed the "Athens of the South" for its classical architecture and large number of higher learning institutions.

The 1999 season marked a remarkable beginning for the Titans, as they made a dramatic run to Super Bowl XXXIV. Led by head coach Jeff Fisher and quarterback Steve McNair, the team finished the regular season with a 13–3 record. Their playoff journey included the famous "Music City Miracle" victory over the Buffalo Bills, where a last-second lateral play resulted in a kickoff return touchdown. The Titans reached the Super Bowl but narrowly lost to the St. Louis Rams, falling one yard short of a potential game-tying touchdown.

In the years following their Super Bowl appearance, the Titans experienced mixed success. They reached the playoffs several times in the early 2000s, with standout performances from players like running back Eddie George and defensive end Jevon Kearse. However, the team struggled with consistency and faced multiple rebuilding phases. Following the departures of George and McNair in 2003 and 2005, respectively, the Titans drafted quarterback Vince Young in 2006, who led the team to a playoff berth in 2007. Despite being named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2006 and being a two-time Pro Bowl selection, Young's tenure was marred by injuries, inconsistency and clashes with Jeff Fisher. In 2008, Young was benched in favor of veteran Kerry Collins, who led the Titans to a league best 13–3 record and a playoff appearance before being defeated in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens. In 2009, following a 0–6 start under Collins, Young returned as starting quarterback and led the Titans to winning eight of their final ten games and narrowly missing the playoffs. The 2009 season was also notable as it was the season in which second-year running back Chris Johnson became the sixth player to run for more than 2,000 yards in a season and broke Marshall Faulk's record for most single season yards from scrimmage. Johnson made three Pro Bowl appearances with the Titans before departing after the 2013 season. Following the 2010 season, Young, Collins and Fisher all departed and quarterback Jake Locker was drafted in 2011. After spending his rookie season as a backup, Locker's career as a starter beginning in 2012 was marked by inconsistent play and numerous injuries, which led to his retirement shortly after departing from the team after the 2014 season after a four-year career.

After posting a league-worst 2–14 record during the 2014 season, their worst since moving to Tennessee, the Titans drafted quarterback Marcus Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft with the second overall pick, who became the Titans' franchise quarterback for the next four seasons. Although the Titans finished with another league worst record of 3–13 during the 2015 season, Mariota along with multi-Pro Bowl teammates such as tight end Delanie Walker, offensive tackle Taylor Lewan and defensive tackle/defensive end Jurrell Casey, led the Titans to three consecutive winning records of 9–7 from 2016 to 2018. During the 2017 season, the Titans returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 2008 and won their first playoff game since 2003, overcoming a 21–3 halftime deficit against the Kansas City Chiefs to win 22–21 before being eliminated in the divisional round. The Titans saw their season end in the Divisional Round with a 35–14 loss to the New England Patriots. Despite their postseason success in the 2017 season, the Titans moved on from head coach Mike Mularkey.

Mike Vrabel era

The Titans entered a new era in the late 2010s with the hiring of head coach Mike Vrabel in 2018. Prominent players drafted during the 2019 season included defensive end Jeffery Simmons and wide receiver A. J. Brown, both of whom would later have prolific careers with the team. Under Vrabel's leadership, during the 2019 season, Mariota was benched in favor of offseason trade acquisition Ryan Tannehill after a 2–4 start and with the emergence running back Derrick Henry, who led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, the team returned to prominence. The Titans reached the AFC Championship Game during the 2019 season. Mariota, Walker and Casey all departed after the 2019 season.

Derrick Henry won the Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2020 after rushing for 2,000 yards. Henry was part of a 2020 campaign that saw the Titans win the AFC South with an 11–5 record. The Titans' season ended with a 20–13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round.

In the 2021 season, the Titans finished with a 12–5 record, won the AFC South, and got a first round bye. The Titans' season ended with a Divisional Round 19–16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Titans traded away Brown after the season. In 2022, the Titans suffered their first losing season since 2015 with a 7–10 mark, losing each of their last seven games despite a 7–3 start. In the 2023 season, the Titans finished with a 6–11 record. Following the 2023 season, Vrabel was fired as head coach. Former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan was hired to be the team's head coach before the 2024 season. Prominent departures that occurred during or after the 2023 season included Henry, Tannehill and two-time First-Team All-Pro safety Kevin Byard.

Brian Callahan/Mike McCoy era

2024 proved to be a difficult season for the Titans, as the Titans finished with a league-worst 3–14 record. 2023 second-round pick Will Levis struggled at quarterback, recording a 2–10 record as a starter. As a result, the Titans used the first pick of the 2025 NFL Draft to select quarterback Cam Ward. Despite Ward starting all 17 games in 2025, the Titans again finished with a 3–14 record. Head coach Brian Callahan was fired after the first six games, with offensive assistant Mike McCoy serving in an interim capacity through the end of the season.

Robert Saleh era

The Titans hired former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh as their next coach on January 20, 2026.

Rivalries

The Titans share rivalries with their three AFC South opponents, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis Colts. They have historical rivalries with former divisional opponents such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The rivalry with the Jaguars began in 1995 when the Titans were the Houston Oilers. The rivalry was heated in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to the success of both franchises at the time, including a season in which Jacksonville went 14–2 and Tennessee went 13–3. That season, all three of Jacksonville's losses, including the playoffs, came against the Titans, who played that year in Super Bowl XXXIV. The rivalry cooled when both teams experienced misfortune in the late 2000s to early 2010s, but both teams ended lengthy playoff droughts in 2017. As of the 2024 season, the Titans lead the all-time series 35–26.

Houston Texans

The Titans’ rivalry with the Houston Texans is more prevalent in Houston due to the Titans having previously played in the city. The Titans dominated the rivalry in the early 2000s, but the series has since evened out in the 2010s. As of the 2025 season, the all-time series is tied, 24–24.

Indianapolis Colts

Since the creation of the AFC South, the Titans and the Colts have been division rivals. In 2011, the Titans swept the Colts after 11 straight losses. In 2018, the Colts defeated the Titans in the last game of the regular season to clinch the final Wild Card spot, eliminating Tennessee from playoff contention. In 2020, the Titans claimed the AFC South championship over the Colts due to tie-breaking measures. As of the 2024 season, the Colts lead the all-time series 39–22.

Buffalo Bills

While in the AFL, the Houston Oilers were in the same division as the Buffalo Bills, with the two teams combining for four AFL titles, but the Oilers were moved to the AFC Central division following the NFL-AFL merger. Their rivalry remained strong into the 1980s and 1990s with Warren Moon leading the Oilers against Jim Kelly and the Bills. Two of the most iconic playoff games in Oilers/Titans history have occurred against the Bills, specifically the Comeback in 1993, and the Music City Miracle on January 8, 2000. The Bills and Titans were featured in an AFL legacy game in 2009 as part of festivities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the AFL's foundation. Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 by the league following the 41–17 Titans win in which he obscenely gestured toward the Bills sideline. Adams and Bills owner Ralph Wilson had maintained a friendly rivalry and were the last living original AFL owners at that time. A brief resurgence of the rivalry based on shared success and mutual respect occurred between 2018 and 2022, as head coach Mike Vrabel and running back Derrick Henry led the Titans against Bills head coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen. As of the 2024 season, the Titans lead the all-time series 30–21.

Baltimore Ravens

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Titans and the Ravens began a rivalry, which flared up when former Titans quarterback Steve McNair went to the Ravens. From the realignment of the NFL's divisions in 2002 to the 2020–21 NFL playoffs, the Titans have faced off against Baltimore five times in the postseason. Derrick Henry left the Titans in the 2024 offseason to play for the Ravens. As of the 2026 season, the Ravens lead the all-time series 15–13.

Pittsburgh Steelers

After the move to the AFC Central division, the Titans developed a rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were the Oilers' primary divisional rival and by the 2020s, the Titans had played them more than any other NFL team. As of the 2024 season, the Steelers lead the all-time series 49–32.

Texas Governor's Cup: Dallas Cowboys/Dallas Texans

The Cowboys previously led the series against the Oilers 18–13.

Stadium traditions

During every home game's 4th quarter, the stadium plays a video of "office linebacker" Terry Tate, performed by Lester Speight, shouting his catchphrase, "the pain train's coming"! The phrase is followed by the playing of "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash.

After every Titans first down at Nissan Stadium, the jumbotron plays a scene from the movie 300, where the Spartans chant after King Leonidas asks, "What is your profession?" Titans fans simultaneously perform the chant three times, "OOH! OOH! OOH!"

Season-by-season records

Since their first season in 1960, the Titans have an all-time record of 482–529–6 as of the 2025 season.