For sports fans, it can be difficult to see a good player leave for a different team.
Coaches leaving for a different organization is not usually an issue because there isn’t as much emotional investment in them from diehard fans.
However, there are those rare coaches who leave a franchise, and it feels as if there has been a death in the family.
On Thursday, former Cleveland Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan announced he was leaving the team to coach the offensive line with the Tennessee Titans.
Brian Callahan, Bill’s son, recently became the head coach of the Titans, so it was only a matter of time before the two reconnected professionally.
With Callahan’s departure, the Browns will be without arguably the best offensive line coach in the NFL.
“I think it is a huge loss,” said Tony Grossi on ESPN Cleveland on Friday. “It feels to me today like the Browns lost a playoff game. That’s how I feel because that’s how valuable Bill Callahan was in developing players and being a resource for Kevin Stefanski. I think over the last four years, he’s been the MVP of the coaching staff.”
.@TonyGrossi says the Browns losing Bill Callahan is like the Browns lost a playoff game 😯 pic.twitter.com/6naVV8XZzZ
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 2, 2024
Callahan was under contract with Cleveland through 2024, but the team permitted him to speak with Brian due to the special circumstances.
Brian Callahan had previously stated that he wanted to work with his father and now he gets the opportunity.
The hiring was also significant because it marked the first time in league history that a head coach hired his father to be on his staff.
Bill Callahan has coached since 1980 and has been primarily an NFL coach since the mid-1990s.
Brian Callahan began coaching in 2006 and had a quick rise through the NFL ranks.
Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals.
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