Robert Saleh says he isn’t carrying any bitterness into Week 1 when his Tennessee Titans face the New York Jets.
The matchup brings a familiar face back to New York, but Saleh is treating it like any other opener. He spent 2021 through the middle of 2024 as the Jets’ head coach, then was fired after a 2-3 start. His run in New York ended with a 20-36 record, and he never got the Jets above seven wins in a season.
Still, Saleh made it clear this one is not about revenge.
“New York is still a special place,” Saleh said told the media this week. “Gave me my first opportunity as a head coach.
Our desire to win Week 1 and beat the Jets is because it’s Week 1 and nothing more. I am forever grateful for all the opportunity that they gave.
I don’t hold grudges.”
That gratitude seems to have carried over into Tennessee, where Saleh has brought in a few familiar faces from his New York days. Former first-round pick and Pro Bowler Jermaine Johnson is now with the Titans, along with pass rusher John Franklin-Myers. Both players had strong stretches under Saleh with the Jets.
Saleh’s path to this point has been a winding one. The Jets hired him in 2021 after four impressive seasons as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers.
By 2020, he had become one of the league’s most sought-after coaching candidates, drawing interviews from every team with an opening. He landed in New York, but the quarterback issues that dogged the franchise never really let up.
Even with Aaron Rodgers on the roster, the Jets couldn’t turn the corner under Saleh. After his dismissal, he went back to the 49ers and helped them climb again, guiding them to the playoffs after their defense improved from 29th in 2024 to 13th in 2025.
Now he gets another shot at being a head coach, and Week 1 just happens to bring him back against the team that gave him his first one.
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Titans Offense Just Got A National Verdict Fans Will Hate
USA TODAYs preseason offense rankings did not offer much comfort for a Titans group trying to turn the page. Tennessee landed 31st, a blunt reminder of how far the unit still has to climb, even after a busy offseason aimed at making the attack more functional around quarterback Cam Ward. The front office has tried to address the obvious pain points, bringing in receivers Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate while also giving the offensive line a boost with rookie Fernando Carmona and a new extension for Peter Skoronski.
There is at least a case to be made that the Titans are not starting from the same place they were a year ago. Ward remains the starter, and the pieces around him look better on paper than they did last season, which is exactly why the ranking stings a little more. It is one thing to be underestimated in the preseason and another to have a national outlet look at the roster and still place the offense near the bottom, leaving Tennessee with a long way to go before the actual production matches the offseason optimism. [Read more 🡒]
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Brian Daboll is now in place as offensive coordinator, and Tennessee has also worked to improve the receiving group around Ward with Wan'Dale Robinson and first-round pick Carnell Tate among the additions. It is the kind of support system that can make a real difference for a quarterback still trying to turn flashes into consistency, and it is why the 2026 season feels like such an important one for Ward. The doubt is still there, but for the first time since his arrival, so is a clearer path to answering it. [Read more 🡒]
Robert Saleh's Titans Face An Uncomfortable AFC South Reality
Robert Saleh is stepping into a familiar but uneasy Tennessee Titans job, with the team set to welcome its third head coach in three years in 2026. The move comes after four straight losing seasons since 2021, and while there is an expectation that the Titans can take a step forward, the broader picture around them is not exactly forgiving.
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports still has Tennessee pegged to finish last in the AFC South, which is a reminder of how steep the climb remains. Houston, Jacksonville and Indianapolis all bring more established competition in the division, leaving Saleh and the Titans with more than just an internal reset to manage as they try to change the trajectory. [Read more 🡒]