Titans Eye Robert Saleh in Ongoing Head Coach Search

Saleh is quickly turning into one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel, with multiple teams lining up to get face time with one of the league’s most respected defensive minds.

While Saleh’s first crack as a head coach in New York wasn’t smooth sailing, that experience may actually be his biggest selling point now. Like most first-timers, he needed a season to fully grasp what the job really demanded — being a true CEO, staying plugged into both sides of the ball and managing everything that comes with the whistle. Those lessons stuck, and even as a DC again in San Francisco, he’s clearly coaching with that broader perspective.

In hindsight, his run with the New York Jets from 2021–24 looks better than the record suggests. Saleh managed to get real effort and competitiveness out of a roster that was thin on talent and long on chaos. The Jets went 20–36 under his watch, but context matters, and time has been kind to that résumé.

Saleh will be cleared to interview teams after the 49ers’ Wild Card matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee won’t be the only team waiting by the phone.

The 49ers, currently the NFC’s sixth seed, are one of the league’s gold-standard franchises, stable, successful, and culture-driven. The fact that they were willing to overhaul their defensive staff just to bring Saleh back speaks volumes. That alone should register loudly inside the Titans’ front office about his football IQ, leadership chops, and impact on a winning locker room.

Saleh is also scheduled to interview with the Arizona Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons, but Tennessee getting in early shows they’re serious about landing a coach who’s been through the fire, and come out sharper on the other side.