Chad Brinker resigned. Who's left in Titans front office, and who's in charge?

Now that Chad Brinker has resigned as the Tennessee Titans' president of football operations, it's time to take a look at the alignment of the Titans' power structure.

Brinker's tenure in Nashville wasn't long, just a little more than three years. But consider just how much transpired in Titans land across those three-plus seasons. Brinker overlapped with Mike Vrabel. At various times, Brinker worked for the guy who hired him, worked above the guy who hired him, worked above the guy he himself hired and worked beneath the guy he himself hired.

It was a messy tenure in a messy period emblematic of the messy on-field results that ran parallel; the Titans went 12-39 with three last-place finishes while Brinker was on staff.

So now that Brinker's gone, the ties to this dysfunctional era of Titans football are all severed, right? Well... it's not that simple.

With the understanding that this is controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk's team and any major decision can be made, adjusted or vetoed by ownership, here's a quick refresher on who works in the Titans front office:

Tennessee Titans front office staff: Who's in charge? Is anyone still around from Mike Vrabel, Jon Robinson or Ran Carthon eras?

Mike Borgonzi, general manager

Year hired: 2025 | Hired under: Chad Brinker, Burke Nihill

The Titans gave Borgonzi full control of the roster and of the coaching search that reeled in coach Robert Saleh in Jan. 2026. Brinker and Titans CEO Burke Nihill led the search to hire Borgonzi, but Borgonzi reports directly to controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk as of the Jan. 2026 decision.

Burke Nihill, president/CEO

Year hired: 2016/2020 | Hired under: Steve Underwood, Amy Adams Strunk

Nihill initially came to Nashville as the Titans' general counsel but rose to the level of president and CEO within five years, taking over for longtime Titans executive Steve Underwood. Nihill's role has more to do with off-field matters than football decision-making, but he's involved with major hires and can be seen in videos of the Titans' war room during NFL drafts. He also serves as Adams Strunk's public-oriented voice since the Titans' owner prefers not to speak publicly or to media about her team.

Dave Ziegler, assistant general manager

Year hired: 2025 | Hired under: Mike Borgonzi, Chad Brinker

Ziegler, the former GM of the Las Vegas Raiders, came to the Titans as Borgonzi's AGM at the start of his tenure. Ziegler came to Nashville with no previous working ties to Brinker or Borgonzi but did have a prior relationship with former Titans coach Brian Callahan. Most of Ziegler's experience came in New England under coach Bill Belichick.

Reggie McKenzie, vice president/football advisor

Year hired: 2025 | Hired under: Mike Borgonzi, Chad Brinker

McKenzie, another former Raiders GM, has the broad title of "football advisor" after 30 years of front office experience. McKenzie and Brinker both grew up in the Green Bay front office and overlapped for three years early in Brinker's career.

Dan Saganey, vice president of player personnel

Year hired: 2025 | Hired under: Mike Borgonzi, Chad Brinker

Saganey was a career Cleveland Browns staffer before coming to Tennessee. He's been a member of Borgonzi's inner circle since arriving. Other than the fact that Saganey and Borgonzi are both from Massachusetts, there's no prior work connection to remark upon.

Bryce Wasserman, chief of staff/football operations

Year hired: 2022 | Hired under: Jon Robinson, Burke Nihill, Amy Adams Strunk

Wasserman's role with the Titans isn't well-defined. He has no official bio or job description on the team's website. But Wasserman almost always moves in the pack with the Titans' brain trust at events like the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine and, crucially, he's Adams Strunk's son-in-law.

Other key off-field Titans decision makers

• Jon Salge, director of player personnel, 21st year with franchise
• Vin Marino, senior vice president of football administration, 20th year with franchise
• Leland Taylor, director of football administration, third year with franchise
• Rob Dadona, chief of staff for coaching staff, first year with franchise

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. 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: Who's left in Titans front office after Chad Brinker resigned? Who's in charge?