To the befuddlement of NFL fans, the league-worst Tennessee Titans have requested permission from the Cleveland Browns to interview Catherine Hickman for their vacant general manager position.
It’s nothing against Hickman, personally. She does have high-level experience after breaking into the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019, and she previously worked for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in her native Quebec.
Instead, fans are primarily reacting to her recent resume with the 3-14 Browns, who have reportedly agreed to the request.
‘Right, cause the Browns are the ideal franchise to pull talent from,’ one fan wrote on X, where many others shared similar thoughts.
‘Why would we want anyone from the browns front office?’ one Titans fan asked.
Another commenter decided to make a play on words: ‘Because the Browns are, excuse the pun, Titans of front office genius.’
Catherine Hickman, assistant GM & vice president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns, is pictured during an interview at an NFL football practice, November 2, 2023
Fans didn’t react with sexist remarks, but rather concerns about Hickman’s recent resume
Others were even less supportive of hiring someone from a franchise that has three playoff appearances – and just one postseason victory – since 1999.
‘Wow,’ one fan began. ‘… an NFL team looking to hire anyone from the Browns organization is mind numbing… there isn’t a single facet of the team that has excelled in anything… they’re the poster child for what NOT to do from top to bottom.. sorry Titans fans, I genuinely feel bad for yall.’
Others were curious if Hickman was involved in the disastrous 2022 trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson, who arrived in Cleveland for a bevy of draft picks and has since battled injuries, inconsistency, and the lingering stigma of sexual misconduct allegations.
‘Did this individual have anything to do with the Deshaun Watson trade/signing?’ asked one fan.
For better or worse, Hickman arrived in Cleveland months after Watson was acquired before the 2022 season.
She’s been assistant general manager and vice president of football operations with the Browns since 2022 after being hired in 2019 as the football operations coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. The person spoke Wednesday with The AP on condition of anonymity because neither team is commenting on interview requests.
Hickman currently is the NFL’s highest-ranking executive with a team.
Meeting with Hickman will help Tennessee meet the Rooney Rule that requires a team to interview at least two outside candidates who are either a person of color or female for the Titans’ general manager opening.
Watson went 1-6 as a starter this season before injuring his Achilles against Cincinnati
To be clear: Hickman arrived in Cleveland months after the disastrous Deshaun Watson deal
Interestingly, fan reaction on social media had little to do with Hickman’s gender, but rather her connection to the Browns.
‘Sounds fitting since we are the Browns of the south,’ one Titans fan wrote of the reported interview.
The Titans sent out several requests for interviews to fill the GM job that opened Tuesday with the firing of Ran Carthon after two seasons on the job. He was the franchise’s first Black general manager, and he was fired after the Titans went 9-25 in his tenure.
Chad Brinker, the Titans president of football operations, is running the search and told the AP on Tuesday that they already had lots of interest in the job.
The Titans controlling owner is Amy Adams Strunk.
