The New York Jets open up the 2026 season on the road against the Tennessee Titans. One of the top storylines is Robert Saleh facing off against his old team and the guy who replaced him.
Head coach Aaron Glenn was asked to share his perspective on that particular storyline ahead of Week 1.
“Yeah, we know each other just from being in coaching circles and just talking ball. I get it; it goes with, I guess, you can say, the territory. Saleh once being here, and I step in as the head coach, but to me, I look at it as it’s a game that we’re going out there to win. It doesn’t matter who it is. I mean, that’s the mindset of these players, that’s the mindset of this coaching staff, [and] that’s the mindset of this organization,” Glenn explained to the media on Tuesday, September 8.
“Our job is to go out there and play this game and be the best that we can be on every play and to go out there and win a game. Hands down. Nothing else needs to be thought of. That’s how I look at it,” Glenn added.
Some More Deflecting
If it meant something extra to Glenn, he didn’t show it. Neither has Saleh, for what it’s worth.
“I’ve said it before, and I don’t BS when I say it. New York is still a special place. They gave me my first opportunity as a head coach. Our desire to win Week 1 and beat the Jets is because it’s Week 1 and nothing more. I’m forever grateful for all the opportunities they gave me. I don’t hold grudges,” Saleh responded when asked about facing his old team. “They’ve got a hell of an offense, a chance to be really, really good. A lot of new faces on defense, but a lot of guys that when you look at their names and roster a lot of guys you really respect. A lot of guys who have played a lot of really good football. So really under-the-radar team I think. They’ve got a chance to be pretty good.”
Saleh gave the politically correct answer. What would he say if you gave him some truth serum on top of a mountain? Something much different, I imagine.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic just wrote a long-form column describing the divide between Saleh and Jets owner Woody Johnson.
“On a Monday in October 2024, Robert Saleh, still jet-lagged, was in his office watching film and game-planning for the upcoming game against the Buffalo Bills. The Jets had just fallen to 2-3 after a loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. On Tuesday morning, Johnson walked into Saleh’s office and fired him. Christopher Johnson, the Jets’ vice chairman and Johnson’s brother, was there too, though he didn’t say anything. Saleh was escorted out of the building; to the coach, to the world, it felt abrupt,” Rosenblatt wrote.
“To Woody Johnson, it didn’t. He never clicked with Saleh and made the sole decision to fire him. There were plenty of conspiracy theories swirling about why Johnson fired Saleh when he did, and the way he did, but at the root of the decision was a simple truth: Johnson wasn’t fond of his head coach. The feeling was mutual,” Rosenblatt added.
After reading that, does this Week 1 matchup between the Jets and Titans feel like just another game?
Taking a Look at the Vegas Odds
The Jets opened as a three-point underdog on the road against the Titans in Week 1, per Vegas Insider.
Typically, the home team gets a three-point advantage. So, in other words, if this game were played on a neutral field, it would be a pick ’em. However, the line has shifted since that opening line was set. Tennessee is now a 1.5-point favorite in most places, with some places favoring them by two points.
Aaron Glenn Addresses Robert Saleh Jets Titans Storyline