Former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh is once again a head coach in the NFL.
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter shared on social media at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday, January 20, that the Tennessee Titans “are working to finalize a deal to hire 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their head coach. Saleh spent Monday in Tennessee with the Titans, and the two sides impressed each other enough to move forward together.”
Tennessee had boiled down its head coach finalists to three names: Saleh, former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Earlier on Monday, January 19, the Miami Dolphins hired Hafley as their HC, thus removing him from consideration for the Titans.
That left Tennessee to decide between Nagy and Saleh. Both individuals interviewed in-person with the team on Monday, January 19.
Saleh seemingly put the pressure on Tennessee to make a decision or else.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero shared on social media that Saleh had an in-person interview scheduled with the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday, January 20.
“Saleh is interviewing with the Titans right now. If they don’t hire him, he’ll get on the plane to Arizona,” Pelissero explained.
Saleh is interviewing with the Titans right now. If they don’t hire him, he’ll get on the plane to Arizona.
Jets Will Get a Juicy Revenge Game in 2026
The football Gods work in mysterious ways.
Saleh is back on an NFL sideline as a head coach after a year and a half’s sabbatical. After being fired by the Jets five weeks into the 2024 season, Saleh is back.
In the back half of the 2024 season, he served as a consultant for the Green Bay Packers. Then this past offseason, he returned to San Francisco to serve as their defensive coordinator.
We don’t know the full specifics of the Jets’ schedule in terms of when they will play their opponents, but we do know who they will play.
The green and white are scheduled to travel to Tennessee to play the Titans. When that game happens, it’ll be the first time the Jets face off against Saleh since he was fired as the HC of the NYJ.
Saleh finished with a .357 winning percentage after his three-and-a-half seasons in New York. He had a 20-36 overall record.
Tennessee Finally Get Their Man
Tennessee fired Brian Callahan in the middle of his second season as the head coach. The Titans should have been as prepared for this head coaching cycle as anyone.
This offseason, a weird trend took place.
The New York Giants hired John Harbaugh before his next visit with the Titans. It happened again with the Atlanta Falcons and Kevin Stefanski. Then, unbelievably, a third time, when Miami closed the deal with Jeff Hafley before his scheduled visit to Tennessee, NFL Insider Ari Meirov pointed out.
Saleh now gets a second chance to rewrite his story as an NFL head coach. It didn’t go great the first time around with the Jets, but it’s fair to wonder how much was on Saleh and how much was on the team. After rebuilding his image over the last 18 months, Saleh will step back into the ring as an HC.
Titans Hire Former Jets Coach as New HC at Stroke of Midnight