Nissan is Following the Tennessee Titans to Their New Stadium

December 4th, 2023 by
Get ready, Titans Nation: it’s officially time to #TitanUp. Nissan North America has announced that their partnership with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans franchise will continue. The two sides reached an agreement on a 20-year, exclusive naming-rights deal, which solidifies the partnership held between Nissan and the Titans since 2015. The Titans are currently in the process of constructing a new stadium, due to be completed in 2027. The new agreement ensures the Titans’ home venue will continue to be branded Nissan Stadium – its official name since the team relocated to Nashville in the late 1990s. On this Monday morning, after another exciting Sunday of NFL action, Steven Nissan takes a look at the history of the former Houston Oilers, and what the future holds for the Tennessee Titans.

A Brief History of the Titans

The Titans began as the Houston Oilers, a charter franchise of the now-defunct American Football League (AFL). Oil tycoon Bud Adams founded the team in 1959 and would remain owner until his death in 2013. In 1970, the NFL and AFL merged, and the Oilers became part of the NFL’s AFC conference. The Oilers made playoff appearances in three straight seasons from 1978-1980 behind future Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell. They’d make an additional six postseason appearances from 1987-1993 with quarterback Warren Moon at the helm, but the Oilers would fail to advance to a Super Bowl during their time in Houston. In 1995, Bud Adams announced he was moving the team to Tennessee. In 1999, the Oilers relocated to Nashville and moved into the future Nissan Stadium – then called the Adelphia Coliseum. The team also dropped the Oiler nickname, as it didn’t exactly apply to their new locale. (Take note, Jazz and Lakers.) In the franchise’s first season as the Tennessee Titans, they made it to their first Super Bowl. That game would give us one of the most memorable endings to a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the Titans would find themselves on the wrong side of history, as receiver Kevin Dyson came up one yard short of the goal line on the final play, and the Kurt Warner-led Rams won the game 23-16.

2015: Partnering with Nissan

The Adelphia Coliseum became simply The Coliseum in 2002, and then LP Field in 2006, which it would remain as until 2015. It was then that Nissan, who owned a nearby manufacturing plant in Smyrna, bought the naming rights for the stadium. This was also a 20-year deal, and as part of the sponsorship deal, a 2016 Nissan Titan pickup truck was placed next to the stadium scoreboard. 2015 proved to be a transitional year for the team. Following a disastrous 2-14 campaign in 2014, the Titans used the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Then, after a 1-6 start to the season, the team fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt. With the rookie Mariota under center, the Titans would only marginally improve in 2015, finishing the season 3-13. This would, however, be their final losing season until 2022. New coach Mike Vrabel was hired in 2018, and though the franchise’s first Super Bowl win remained elusive, Vrabel and resurgent quarterback Ryan Tannehill led the team to an AFC Championship appearance in 2019. (The team fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, future adopted team of Taylor Swift.)

2023 and Beyond

Unfortunately, the 2023 season has been a trying one for the Titans faithful. They currently sit at 4-8 in the standings, tied with the New York Jets for the second-worst mark in the AFC. (Only the once-mighty Patriots are worse at 2-10.) Following an overtime loss to Indianapolis this week, the Titans’ playoff hopes for this season are fading fast. The future remains somewhat murky outside of Vrabel at head coach. Future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry is reaching the twilight of his career and could be in a different uniform by the start of next season. Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in Week 6 and was replaced by rookie quarterback Will Levis, a Kentucky product with a propensity for putting mayonnaise in his coffee and eating banana peels whole. Levis was drafted a year after the franchise selected Liberty’s Malik Willis, a quarterback who lacks Levis’s dietary quirks, but also his arm strength. Whatever the future does hold for the Titans, Nissan will be along for the ride. When the team makes the move to the new Nissan Stadium in 2027, hopefully one of their young quarterbacks will have emerged as the new face of the franchise. Until then, all Titans Nation can do is Titan Up and hope the team has one final playoff push in them. In the meantime, Steven Nissan is here to tighten up your vehicle with the help of our Service Center. From brakes to batteries, tires to oil changes, we’ll do whatever it takes to keep you on the road the next time you’re driving south from Rocktown for Sunday’s tailgate.
Posted in Nissan News