The New York Jets have undergone quite a few changes over the offseason after laboring through a miserable campaign in 2025. While head coach Aaron Glenn is going to be given time to figure things out as the Jets’ new leader, the team’s struggles last year weren’t a particularly great look when it came to their decision to fire Robert Saleh early in the 2024 campaign.
With New York struggling, Saleh ended up being made the team’s scapegoat, and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that he was not too happy with how things ended for him with the Jets. Now, Saleh is the Tennessee Titans‘ new head coach, and his squad will open the 2026 campaign with a Week 1 meeting against none other than his former team. When asked about this matchup, Saleh didn’t mince his words.
Robert Saleh Dishes on Jets Matchup
Saleh was hired by the Jets to be their head coach in 2021, and during his time in town, he turned their defense into one of the top units in the league. The problem was that New York could never figure out the quarterback situation during Saleh’s time in town, and that ended up being what cost him his job.
In 2025, Saleh rejoined the San Francisco 49ers as their defensive coordinator, and he quickly managed to build his name back up in circles around the NFL. Several teams showed interest in hiring Saleh as their new head coach, but it ended up being the Titans who won the race for his services.
The Jets have known for a while now that they would be facing off against Saleh and the Titans, but when the full 2026 schedule was released, fans couldn’t help but notice that this matchup was scheduled for Week 1. The NFL always loves to build up storylines as much as it can, and while Saleh is aware some folks believe there is some animosity between him and New York, he opted to take the high road when looking ahead at this matchup.
“I’m appreciative of the Jets and everything that I had there,” Saleh said. “It’s been over a year-and-a-half now … It’s to be expected with the NFL, but I didn’t think anything of it.”
Robert Saleh Will Be Looking for Revenge vs. the Jets
GettyFormer New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting in the middle of an NFL game against the Tennessee Titans.
While Saleh opted not to put the Jets on blast here, you can bet that he has this game circled on his calendar. New York’s issues during Saleh’s time in charge were not limited to just him, but it was his head that was served on a platter to the team’s fanbase. Ultimately, New York’s struggles in 2025, plus Saleh’s success with the Niners defense, go a long way towards proving that very well may have gotten the short end of the stick.
All the team can do now, though, is move forward, and it is hoping that the changes it has made over the past few months will help lead to some improvements across the board in 2026. Ultimately, it’s going to be a while until the Jets are a competitive football team again, but if they don’t come out of the gates hot in Week 1 against Saleh and the Titans, they could find themselves on the receiving end of a brutal blowout defeat.
Robert Saleh Sends Clear Message on Facing Jets in 2026