The Tennessee Titans' 2023 offseason begins with a move that will change the trajectory of the franchise.

The Titans will hire San Francisco 49ers director of pro personnel Ran Carthon as their next general manager per a team announcement on Wednesday. This comes after the Titans interviewed seven candidates for the position. Carthon is a first-time general manager who has worked in NFL front offices since 2008.

Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk conducted the interviews along with a panel of advisers that included Titans coach Mike Vrabel when interviewing the finalists. The Titans did not use a search firm to identify candidates but did employ a consultant to assist in the interview process.

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Carthon is a former NFL running back who played for the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions between 2004-06. He first started working as a scout with the Atlanta Falcons in 2008, worked his way to being the St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams' director of player personnel from 2012-16 and has been the 49ers' director of pro personnel since 2017.

He's the son of former USFL and NFL running back Maurice Carthon, who also coached in the NFL from 1994-2012, including three stints as an offensive coordinator. Since Carthon joined the 49ers in 2017, the team has made three trips to the playoffs, including a Super Bowl berth at the end of the 2019-20 season.

Before making it to the NFL, Carthon played running back at the University of Florida and was the Gators' leading rusher in 2003. He carried 16 times for 22 yards in his NFL career. He was on the Colts in 2006 when they won the Super Bowl but did not play after Week 3 of that season.

This position came open when the Titans fired former general manager Jon Robinson in December in the middle of his seventh season leading the Titans front office. The Titans never posted a losing record in Robinson's six full seasons, but a series of high-profile decisions led to the franchise regressing and missing the playoffs in 2022. Chief among the bunch was Robinson's choice to trade star receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles and his mishandling of the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts, hurting the team with depth on the offensive line, at receiver and in the secondary.

Heading into the 2023 offseason, the Titans have a number of key decisions to make. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has an option in his contract that could save the Titans $27 million against the salary cap if he's waived or traded after June 1. Fellow veterans like offensive lineman Taylor Lewan and outside linebacker Bud Dupree have similar cost-saving outs in their contracts. Fourth-year defensive tackle and 2022 second-team All-Pro Jeffery Simmons is in need of a contract extension, and starters like linebacker David Long Jr., and guard Nate Davis are set to hit free agency. The Titans possess the No. 11 pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the earliest the franchise has selected since 2017.

Titans interim general manager Ryan Cowden was among the candidates interviewed for the position but was not retained. The Titans also interviewed Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, Arizona Cardinals vice president of player personnel Quentin Wilson, Cleveland Browns assistant GM Glenn Cook, Bills senior pro scouting director Malik Boyd and Titans director of pro personnel Monti Ossenfort. The Cardinals hired Ossenfort for their GM job on Monday.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans hiring Ran Carthon as next general manager