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The Tennessee Titans are the next team off the head coaching search board, and they leave with someone experienced in that department in the NFL.
Robert Saleh, the San Francisco 49ers’ star defensive coordinator, is working to finalize a deal with the Titans to make him their next head coach, according to multiple reports.
Saleh couldn’t turn things around with the New York Jets in his 56 career games with the franchise from 2021-24, but the Titans are ready to give him another crack at shaping a young roster centered around 2025 No. 1 overall pick quarterback Cam Ward.
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San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh talks with linebacker Fred Warner (54) in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Sept. 7, 2025. (Joe Nicholson/Imagn Images)
Saleh marks the fourth head coaching hire in this wild NFL cycle. And the three previous hires — John Harbaugh (New York Giants), Kevin Stefanski (Atlanta Falcons) and Jeff Hafley (Miami Dolphins) — were all on the Titans’ interview schedule before being picked up elsewhere.
The Titans announced that Saleh and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy had in-person interviews on Monday, and it’s clear the 49ers coach said all the right things to make ownership think he’s the best hire.
Tennessee didn’t wait any longer, and they pulled the trigger on Saleh, a defensive rusher with a leader-of-men personality that has shined through in his vast experience coaching in the league.
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Saleh began entering the head coaching conversation when he got his shot at defensive coordinator under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2017. The 49ers developed into a great team in the 2019 campaign, with Saleh’s defense playing a vital role in a trip to the Super Bowl. They would ultimately lose to the Kansas City Chiefs.
After a 6-10 season in San Fran the following year, the Jets made Saleh their next head coach, where his motto, “All Gas, No Brakes” became a sticking point for everyone at Florham Park.
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is shown at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, December 24, 2023. (Kevin R. Wexler/USA TODAY NETWORK)
But while the Jets’ defense became one of the best units in the sport under Saleh’s guidance, they were never able to break their postseason drought.
The Jets’ best record under Saleh was 7–10, which came in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023. Then, after just five games in 2024, in which the Jets went 2–3, owner Woody Johnson called for firing Saleh and promoting defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to interim head coach.
Shanahan came calling for Saleh to take back his role in the Bay Area, and he was dealt a heavy hand with key players Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, among others, missing the season due to injury.
However, a young 49ers defense was coached by Saleh and the rest of the staff to produce a unit that took off in the second half. 49ers finished 13th in points allowed per match (21.8), which proved to be a group on the rise as they made the playoffs.
New York Jets coach Robert Saleh reacts against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Their best win came in the Wild Card round, where they went into Philadelphia and beat the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles to advance. Unfortunately, the Seattle Seahawks were too much for the 49ers, blowing them out 41-6 on Saturday to end their season.
Just two days later, Saleh moves to “Music City” where he faces a similar situation to the one he saw in New York – a team desperate to turn things around sooner rather than later.
Tennessee has gone 3-14 in each of the last two seasons. But they have the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft and nine overall picks in April.
The Titans also have a whopping $93.5 million in cap space to spend in free agency, where GM Mike Borgonzi can be aggressive in bolstering Saleh’s roster to compete in what is an improved AFC South conference.
This is Saleh’s third job in the AFC South, having previously coached the Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He was with the Jags from 2014-16 as the team’s linebackers coach before joining Shanahan in San Francisco.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the field prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
As for the NFL head coaching search, another team was added Monday with the surprise firing of Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott.
With four spots filled, six remain in the Bills, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.
