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Titans interview 49ers’ Carthon, Browns’ Cook for GM vacancy

By TERESA M. WALKERJanuary 13, 2023 GMT

FILE - San Francisco 49ers Director of Player Personnel Ran Carthon waits for the team's NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in Santa Clara, Calif., Nov. 28, 2021. The Tennessee Titans have hired San Francisco director of player personnel Ran Carthon as their 14th general manager and first minority for a franchise founded in 1960. The Titans announced the hiring Wednesday morning, Jan. 18, 2023, wrapping up a search that formally started Jan. 12.(AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans interviewed their first two candidates for general manager from outside their organization Friday in San Francisco director of player personnel Ran Carthon and Glenn Cook, Cleveland ’s assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel.

The Titans confirmed late Friday afternoon they had concluded interviews with Carthon and Cook. They formally started the search to replace Jon Robinson, fired Dec. 6 in his seventh season, on Thursday.

Controlling owner Amy Adam Strunk and her search committee interviewed a pair of internal candidates in vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden and director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort. Both Cowden and Ossenfort interviewed for general manager openings last year, including the New York Giants.

The 49ers (13-4) host Seattle on Saturday in the NFC wild-card round as the No. 2 seed. Carthon joined the Niners as pro personnel director in 2017 and has been director of player personnel the last two years. Carthon also interviewed last year for GM jobs with Chicago and the Giants.

Carthon was a pro scout with Atlanta between 2008-11. He played three years in the NFL as an undrafted rookie with Indianpaolis between 2004-06. He played running back in college at Florida. His father, Maurice, both played in the NFL and coached with seven teams.

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Cook has been with the Browns since 2016, where he started as assistant director of pro scouting before being promoted in 2020 to vice president of player personnel. He was a pro scout for the Green Bay Packers between 2012-15 and started in the NFL as a scouting assistant in 2011 with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for general manager/executive of football operations positions, head coach and all coordinator roles. At least one of those interviews must be held in-person for any head coach or general manager opening.

Interviewing Carthon and Cook satisfies the Rooney Rule to interview at least two external minority candidates, and the Titans are conducting all interviews in Nashville.

Cook interviewed last year for the Minnesota Vikings’ general manager job. He played linebacker in college at Miami for four seasons and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2009 MLB draft. Cook played 34 rookie league games before moving back to football as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2010.

The Titans are expected to interview Chicago assistant general manager Ian Cunningham on Saturday.

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