Titans HC Robert Saleh again addresses potential Week 1 revenge spot against Jets

Back in May, first-year Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh insisted that he didn't "think anything of" the fact that his first official game in charge of the Titans would be against the New York Jets, his former employer, on Sept. 13. 

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Saleh once again addressed the potential revenge spot that is now much closer to being a reality than it was shortly before the Memorial Day holiday arrived.

Robert Saleh on facing the Jets: "I don’t hold grudges"

"I’ve said it before. I don’t BS when I say it: New York is still a special place," Saleh explained, per Nick Suss of the Nashville Tennessean. "It gave me my first opportunity as a head coach. Our desire to win Week 1 is because it’s Week 1 and nothing more. I’m forever grateful for all the opportunity they gave. I don’t hold grudges."

People within the Jets were reportedly stunned when team owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh roughly 48 hours after the club fell to 2-3 during the 2024 season. That said, Saleh failed to record a winning season from 2021 through 2023, and he went 20-36 for his entire Jets tenure. 

Saleh admittedly made mistakes while with the Jets. He also had to deal with the circus that was the franchise's Aaron Rodgers era and with Johnson allegedly being the biggest reason some have viewed Gang Green as "the most dysfunctional place imaginable" for years.

Robert Saleh took "learning experiences" from Jets tenure

"There’s things that we did in New York that I feel really good about, that I felt were the right things to do," Saleh added. "There’s things that we did where it wasn’t so good. You take those learning experiences. You try to apply it to this opportunity. And look, we’re still going to make mistakes. No one bats 1.000. But I’m grateful for the opportunity."

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Titans as 1.5-point favorites over the Jets. While Saleh understandably doesn't want to give the Jets bulletin-board material, one can't help but wonder what he will say if the Titans give him a Week 1 win.