Why did the Titans hire Robert Saleh? Former 49ers DC, Jets head coach lands in Tennessee to lead Cam Ward

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Why did the Titans hire Robert Saleh? Former 49ers DC, Jets head coach lands in Tennessee to lead Cam Ward originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Tennessee Titans have found their next voice to lead Cam Ward.

Robert Saleh is finalizing a deal with the Titans to become their next head coach, Adam Schefter reported late Monday night. The news comes after Saleh completed two official interviews with the team, and "the two sides impressed each other enough to move forward together," per Schefter.

Now, Saleh, the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator in 2025 and former New York Jets head coach, will be tasked with helping the Titans return to prominence in the AFC after multiple seasons of struggles, with a franchise quarterback already in place.

Here’s what to know about the Titans hiring Saleh.

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Why did the Titans hire Robert Saleh?

The Titans' hire is set to be the fourth of the 2026 NFL coaching cycle, with John Harbaugh heading to the Giants, Kevin Stefanski heading to the Falcons and Jeff Hafley heading to the Dolphins. As Tennessee moved through its interview processes, it became apparent that Saleh was one of the favorites for the job.

According to Schefter, Saleh spent Monday in Tennessee with the team, and "the two sides impressed each other enough to move forward together." Ian Rapoport added that Saleh " impressed during the interview process."

Matt Nagy was also believed to be one of the top candidates for the Titans' head coaching role — the team announced Monday that it had completed second interviews with both Nagy and Saleh, two former head coaches.

Interestingly, Saleh, a defensive mind, was the choice over Nagy, an offensive mind. Saleh brings a mix of defensive prowess, leadership and head coaching experience to the Titans, an organization certainly needing stability after a 3-14 season.

Saleh will be a head coach for the second time, as he led the Jets from 2021-24. That stint did not go too well — he racked up a 20-36 record — but Saleh wasn't always viewed as the sole person to blame for New York's struggles. At best, he helped bring more of an edge to the Jets, including his time leading Aaron Rodgers.

After being fired five games into the 2024 season, Saleh wound up heading to the 49ers as Kyle Shanahan's defensive coordinator in the 2025 season, finding plenty of success despite a long list of injuries. The Titans were clearly impressed, now hoping Saleh can help them improve upon a defense that gave up 345.1 yards per game this past season.

According to Jordan Schultz, Saleh indicated to teams in interviews that he planned to call defensive plays if he became a head coach again, which he did not do with the Jets.

Saleh will also have an opportunity to join a hyped young quarterback, as Cam Ward had a quiet rookie season, but the Titans are hopeful last year's No. 1 overall pick will continue blossoming toward stardom.

As a side note, Saleh is now set to face Liam Coen's Jaguars squad twice per season. The two coaches had a bit of drama brewing earlier in the 2025 regular season:

MORE:Everything to know about the Liam Coen-Robert Saleh beef

Robert Saleh contract

Years: TBD
Amount: TBD

Details of Saleh's contract with the Titans have not yet been reported.

NFL teams do not have to release details of their coaches' salaries, so it often comes down to whether or not those details are leaked to reporters.

MORE: Why did Buffalo fire Sean McDermott?

Robert Saleh record

All four of Saleh's seasons as an NFL head coach came with the Jets. Here's a look at his record in New York.

Season	W	L	Pct.
2021	4	13	.235
2022	7	10	.412
2023	7	10	.412
2024	2	3	.400
Career	20	36	.357

MORE: Everything to know about the Falcons hiring Kevin Stefanski

Robert Saleh coaching timeline

Saleh has had an extensive coaching career that includes time in college, a long list of NFL assistant roles, and now two head coaching jobs. Notably, he is set to coach his third AFC South team, having previously spent time with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars as an assistant.

Saleh’s coaching career began in 2002 as an offensive assistant at Michigan State. He became a defensive assistant for the team in 2003, guiding defensive linemen, and the following year held the same role at Central Michigan.

In 2005, Saleh moved to Georgia as a defensive assistant leading linebackers. Later that year, he made the jump to the NFL as a defensive intern for the Texans. He became a defensive quality control coach for Houston from 2006–08, then an assistant linebackers coach from 2009–10.

In 2011, Saleh joined the Seattle Seahawks as a defensive quality control coach, remaining in that role until 2013, when he joined the Jaguars as a linebackers coach.

Saleh’s first stint as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator began in 2017, helping lead the team to the Super Bowl in 2019. He served as San Francisco’s DC under Kyle Shanahan from 2017–20.

In 2021, the Jets hired Saleh as their head coach, but his four-year run did not result in any playoff appearances. New York built some solid defenses under Saleh but failed to break through, and after a 2-3 start in 2024, they parted ways with him.

Saleh spent a bit of time as a consultant for the Packers before returning to the 49ers as defensive coordinator for the 2025 season. Now, he'll take on another head coaching role in the AFC.

Michigan State, Offensive assistant and defensive assistant (2002-03)
Central Michigan, Defensive assistant (2004)
Georgia, Defensive assistant (2005)
Houston Texans, Defensive intern, Defensive quality control coach and assistant LBs coach (2005-10)
Seattle Seahawks, Defensive quality control coach (2011-13)
Jacksonville Jaguars, Linebackers coach (2014-16)
San Francisco 49ers, Defensive coordinator (2017-20)
New York Jets, Head coach (2021-24)
Green Bay Packers, Offensive consultant (2024)
San Francisco 49ers, Defensive coordinator (2025)
Tennessee Titans, Head coach (2026–present)