The Tennessee Titans are reaching into the NFL’s inner circle, hiring longtime league executive Dave Gardi as Executive Vice President of Football Operations in a move the club announced Wednesday. Gardi will report to General Manager Mike Borgonzi and take charge of football administration, strategy, and analytics, video, equipment, team operations, and security after two seasons with the Washington Commanders and more than two decades at the NFL league office.
Team announcement and role
In the team’s release, general manager Mike Borgonzi praised Gardi’s experience and said the hire will make an immediate impact. “We’re thrilled to have Dave join us here in Nashville,” Borgonzi said, adding that Gardi brings a breadth of league and club-side experience. The Titans’ announcement, posted May 20, 2026, lays out the departments Gardi will oversee, according to the Tennessee Titans. In short, Gardi is being handed a big slice of the football operation behind the scenes.
Veteran league experience
Gardi spent the past two seasons with the Washington Commanders as Senior Vice President of Football Initiatives, where he supported in-game management, compliance with league protocols and officiating-trend analysis. Before joining Washington he worked 21 years at the NFL league office, including 10 years as the league’s Senior Vice President of Football Operations, where he helped develop policies on competitive balance and gameday rules, per the Washington Commanders. It is the kind of résumé that tends to carry weight in league circles.
How it reshuffles the front office
The hire follows Chad Brinker’s April departure as president of football operations, a change that left the Titans’ top-personnel structure in flux, according to coverage of the front office jolt. Brinker stepped down to return to personnel work and the organization had been streamlining roles at the top, local reports noted. In the team’s announcement of Gardi’s arrival, the Titans said he will report directly to Borgonzi, tightening the GM’s control over day-to-day football functions, according to the Tennessee Titans.
What it means for the season
National outlets framed the move as a technical, operations-first hire that should strengthen Borgonzi’s staff heading into OTAs and the 2026 season. The story was picked up by national coverage, including NBC Sports, and local outlets such as WZTV, which noted Gardi’s experience could help smooth interactions with the league office on replay, rules and gameday protocol. For a team trying to speed up its rebuild, having a seasoned rules and operations voice in the building is not exactly a drawback.
A Sayville, N.Y., native, Gardi played quarterback at Brown and later earned a law degree from Hofstra, background details the Commanders’ release also noted. With the Titans announcing the hire this week, Nashville now has a longtime NFL operations specialist embedded in the front office as the club works to accelerate its rebuild.
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