Chad Brinker

Chad Brinker (born November 5, 1979) is an American professional football executive and former running back who most recently served as the president of football operations for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio Bobcats and later was a member of the New York Jets and played with the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe. Before working with the Titans, he served as an executive and scout for the Green Bay Packers.

Early life Brinker was born on November 5, 1979, in Martins Ferry, Ohio. His father was a coal miner. He grew up playing football and was a standout running back at Martins Ferry High School, where he also competed in track and field, baseball and basketball. He lettered all four years with the football team and became a starter as a sophomore. He kept his condition private and continued playing, running for 140 yards against Iowa State.

Brinker decided to continue to play football after his brain surgery. He later re-signed with the team on January 6, 2004, for the 2004 season. That year, he won a Super Bowl ring when the Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Then, after six seasons in that position, he received another promotion, to assistant director of pro scouting and salary cap analyst, in 2018. He later served in the position of personnel/football administration executive from 2021 to 2022. During his time with the Packers, Brinker also studied at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University and received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. After Carthon was fired following the 2024 season, Brinker was announced as being given full control of the roster, a role which ProFootballTalk described as being de facto general manager. On April 28, 2026, Brinker stepped down from his position.

Personal life Brinker is married and has three daughters.