TEN Titans

After failed attempts to start an NFL expansion team in Houston, 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 a domed 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 1987, 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 six 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.

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.

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.

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 prior to 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.