Tennessee Titans hire Robert Saleh as new head coach
The Tennessee Titans are finalising a deal to hire San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their next head coach,.
Saleh, who spent Monday in Tennessee for an in-person meeting after an expedited virtual interview Sunday, impressed the organisation enough to lock in the agreement. The deal is expected to be for five years, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources. Saleh becomes the 20th coach in Oilers/Titans history and the seventh since the franchise’s move to Nashville in 1997.
The Titans conducted an in-person interview with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy earlier Monday, but general manager Mike Borgonzi made the final call, with the group settling on Saleh as the best fit to connect the roster and rebuild the programme.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo added that 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik is expected to join as Saleh’s offensive coordinator, the first piece of the new staff. Saleh’s immediate priorities will include hiring a quarterbacks coach to help develop No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward into the franchise cornerstone.
The hiring caps an exhaustive search after the Titans fired Brian Callahan in mid-October following a dismal 3-14 finish to the 2025 season — their worst since 2014. Tennessee hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2021, when they earned the AFC’s top seed but fell in the divisional round to the Cincinnati Bengals. The offence averaged a league-worst 16.7 points per game, the second-fewest mark since relocating to Nashville.
“We wanted somebody who could connect with the roster,” Borgonzi said. “That person ultimately has to connect everybody in the building. You have to have that balance of being demanding, connecting people in the building and just bringing people together.”
Saleh, 47, brings a proven defensive pedigree after serving as the New York Jets’ head coach from 2021 to 2024, where he posted a 20-36 record. His tenure included acquiring Aaron Rodgers in 2023 – only for the quarterback to suffer a ruptured Achilles in the season opener – and ended with a 1-4 start in 2024 before his firing. Lessons from New York, including a renewed emphasis on building relationships, fuelled his successful return to San Francisco as defensive coordinator.
In his second stint with the 49ers, Saleh orchestrated one of the league’s most dominant units. After a middling 2024 (22nd in total yards allowed, 18th in scoring defence), his group surged in 2025 to No. 3 in yards per game allowed, sixth in points surrendered and tied for fourth in takeaways. The defence powered San Francisco to an NFC Championship appearance, where they fell to the Eagles despite injuries in the secondary.
Other teams, including the Texans, Panthers, Commanders and Saints, showed interest in Saleh for their vacancies. The Giants were the lone club that did not request an interview with the coach, who has 20 years in NFL ranks.
In Tennessee, Saleh inherits a defence that allowed 29.2 points per game – the second-worst in franchise history – but steps into a rebuild armed with prime assets. The Titans hold the No. 1 and No. 18 picks in April’s draft, plus seven total selections and significant cap space. Core pieces include 2025 first-rounder JC Latham, second-rounder Cedric Gray and 2024 third overall selection Peter Skoronski.
With a new stadium opening in 2027 and a passionate fanbase craving relevance, Saleh’s intensity and scheme could ignite a turnaround. Sources told Schefter the two sides “impressed each other enough to move forward together,” signalling optimism for a Titans resurgence.
