Ray Horton

Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton runs a drill during OTAs in 2015. Horton reportedly is working on an extension that would keep him with the Titans.

(AP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton disputed a report Sunday that he was insulted by the Titans initially overlooking him for their head coach vacancy, and that he has been granted permission to interview with the Browns.

Horton, whom Hue Jackson hopes to hire as his defensive coordinator according to John Wooten of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, hasn't received permission to talk to Cleveland and hasn't interviewed with Jackson yet.

Instead, he's in talks with Tennessee to remain as their coordinator under coach Mike Mularkey, who was promoted from interim coach to the full-time job on Saturday, according to ESPN.com.

"I'm not insulted," Horton told ESPN.com. "I was very happy Mrs. [Amy Adams] Strunk gave me an interview. I think she was very impressed with me. I was told some ideas I gave are going to be implemented. I'm still under contract. I'm talking about a contract extension. The insulted comment is not true. I'm very happy. I was very happy to be interviewed."

Wooten, the former Browns guard who works tirelessly to promote minority hiring in the NFL, told The Tennessean that Horton was insulted that the Titans didn't interview him sooner for their head coaching vacancy. They did so Saturday morning, and hired Mularkey a few hours later. It had been widely reported that it was Mularkey's job to lose.

Wooten also confirmed The Tennessean report for cleveland.com, saying that Horton had been granted permission by the Titans to interview with other teams and that he planned to join the Browns.

Later in the day, Horton, who ran the Browns defense in 2013 under Rob Chudzinski, told The Tennessean that Wooten is not authorized to speak on his behalf.

"The interview went outstanding,'' he told the paper. "It was about a four-hour interview where great ideas were exchanged that I was told will be implemented in the Tennessee Titans organization. I couldn't have been insulted by it, because it went well."

Wooten told The Tennessean that Horton, who has been promoted by the Alliance as a head coaching candidate for the past four years, was dismayed that the interview came so late. He was the last of four candidates to interview, after former Bills coach Doug Marrone, Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Mularkey.

"He felt disrespected just because of the way -- it's really touchy," Wooten said. "For them all to be in the same building and not to know what Ray Horton is about just tells you that, it's like you don't exist, like you're invisible."

Jackson has also interviewed former Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton for the position of assistant head coach/offense, a source said. He's also interested in adding Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson as his running game coordinator, according to Wooten, and has talked to former Colts offensive line coach Hal Hunter about the same role here.