Deion Sanders shocked, reacts in one word as Titans fire GM Ran Carthon 4 months before 2025 NFL draft

The Tennessee Titans waited until Black Monday was over to fire general manager Ran Carthon. The Titans went all-in in the offseason by spending big money in a series of moves to put a competitive roster around quarterback Will Levis in what was Brian Callahan's first year as coach.

Instead, the Titans went 3-14, failing to put a good product on the field. That 3-14 effort also saw them end up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. However, Carthon's firing did catch many in the football world by surprise.

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders was among those shocked by the Titans' decision to fire Carthon just two years into his contract.

"WOW!" Sanders wrote on X in response to the Titans firing their GM.

The Titans went on a major spending spree in the summer. They beat competition from the New England Patriots to sign Calvin Ridley and gave him a four-year, $92 million deal. They also prised L'Jarius Sneed away from the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, in addition to signing Tony Pollard, Chidobe Awuzie, Lloyd Cushenberry and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

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2025 NFL draft: How Deion Sanders figures in Tennessee Titans' plans

Will Levis hasn't exactly set the league alight as a starter, nor made a name for himself as a bona fide starting QB. That leaves the Titans at a crossroads with April on the horizon.

Tennessee has the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft and could set its sights on Deion Sanders' son Shedeur, who is seen by a majority of draft analysts as the top quarterback on the board.

While Shedeur Sanders won't single-handedly make the Titans a contender, it's important to note that coach Brian Callahan was the offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals when they had the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft. That selection brought Joe Burrow to the franchise out of LSU.

Burrow has already taken the Bengals to a Super Bowl, where they lost to the LA Rams three years ago.

That said, the Titans could still trade down with a QB-needy team like the New York Giants or Las Vegas Raiders to gather assets in a more competitive draft.