The New York Jets have had a bit of an odd start to the offseason. After a quiet start, head coach Aaron Glenn has decided to clean house, as he’s let go of several notable members of his coaching staff. As a result, his first big order of business involves finding new guys to come in and work for him in 2026 and beyond.
Earlier in the offseason, the Jets surely were quick to note that Glenn’s predecessor, Robert Saleh, found himself a new head coach job with the Tennessee Titans after spending the 2025 campaign with the San Francisco 49ers as their defensive coordinator. It wasn’t long ago that Saleh found himself getting fired by New York, and it’s clear he still holds a grudge for how things unfolded with his former team.
Robert Saleh Throws Another Light Jab at Jets
Before becoming the Titans’ head coach, Saleh got his first shot at being a head coach with the Jets. Saleh was hired in 2021 after a successful first stint as the Niners’ defensive coordinator, with the hope being that he could help turn New York back into a tough, fearsome team that opposing squads did not want to go up against.
Nothing really went right for Saleh with the Jets, though. Zach Wilson never panned out at quarterback, which handicapped Saleh right from the get-go. Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon immediately in 2023, and then when he returned in 2024, there was so much internal chaos that Saleh got fired just five games into the season.
Saleh thinks he got the short end of the stick in New York, and he relished the opportunity to show what he’s capable of when he returned to San Francisco in 2025. Either way, though, Saleh is going to do things different this time around with Tennessee. One such example of that is he will be calling plays defensively for the Titans, which is something he didn’t do with the Jets. While it was largely his decision, he did take a light jab at N.Y. when discussing the decision.
“I didn’t call plays in New York, I just kind of gave it all to the coordinators, even though we were still part of the game planning and all of that,” Saleh said. “On gameday, when I didn’t call plays, I felt like I was just the timeout and red flag guy. I had the greatest seat in the house as a fan.”
Robert Saleh Not Letting Go of Grudge Against the Jets
GettyDefensive coordinator Robert Saleh of the San Francisco 49ers looks on before the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Despite there being a lot of other problems with the Jets, Saleh was made the fall guy by the team early in 2024 amid its struggles. And yet, since he wasn’t calling plays, that led to him almost being a “fan” in his eyes, which makes New York’s decision to fire him even more ironic. It may have been the right move, but it’s clear Saleh still isn’t fond of his former team.
At this stage of the game, though, there’s not much the Jets can do here anymore. Instead, they have to focus on moving forward, and the first step involves Glenn rebuilding his coaching staff. Once he does that, the front office needs to add a substantial amount of talent to the roster, because if they don’t, New York will find itself in the same spot this time next offseason.
Robert Saleh Takes Shot at Jets After Accepting Titans Head Coach Job