Titans agree to hire Robert Saleh
as coach as they seek to speed up rebuild, AP source says
[January 20, 2026]
By TERESA M. WALKER
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans agreed to hire Robert
Saleh as their coach on Monday night, hoping he can speed up their
rebuild and end the franchise's skid of four straight losing
seasons, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated
Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had
not been announced.
Saleh spent this season as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive
coordinator, his second stint in that job after spending three-plus
seasons as coach of the New York Jets. He did not have a winning
season with the Jets and was fired after a 2-3 start in 2024, going
20-36 overall.
But the 46-year-old Saleh still had a strong reputation around the
league and was a sought-after candidate in this busy coaching cycle.
“Playing for him was such a blessing. He’s a defensive mastermind,”
49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said earlier Monday. “I think
he’s one of the best to do it.”
Tennessee went 19-49 over the past four seasons under Mike Vrabel —
who was fired after the 2024 season — and Brian Callahan, who lasted
just 23 games before being fired on Oct. 13 after a 1-5 start. That
made the Titans the first team with a coaching vacancy, only to wind
up as one of 10 NFL teams looking for a coach and the fourth to hire
one.
The Titans interviewed 15 candidates for the job before paring down
their finalists to Saleh, Kansas City offensive coordinator Matt
Nagy and Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley — who was hired
earlier Monday as the Miami Dolphins' coach.
Of that trio, only Saleh had yet to interview with the Titans until
an in-person session Monday.
This was the first coaching search run by general manager Mike
Borgonzi, who was hired on Jan. 17, 2024. Borgonzi knew he was
walking into a franchise needing a major rebuild, and he made clear
he had no timetable for making his biggest move yet.
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San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh stands on the
sideline during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks,
Jan. 3, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker, File)
Borgonzi started the renovation by taking
quarterback Cam Ward at No. 1 overall.
His first draft class featured Ward, who started every game and set
the single-season rookie passing record with 3,169 yards. He also
threw 15 touchdown passes with seven interceptions. Chimere Dike
became an All-Pro punt returner, and All Pro defensive tackle
Jeffery Simmons had a career year.
Simmons shared a googly-eyes emoji on social media as news broke of
the Titans finding their coach. Ward, who had said he wanted to be
involved in the team's search, was in Florida watching his alma
mater, Miami, lose the College Football Playoff national
championship game to Indiana.
The Titans go into this offseason with the fourth overall draft
pick, about $100 million in salary cap space with the chance to free
up more room and an enclosed stadium opening in 2027.
Saleh is the seventh coach the franchise has had since moving to
Tennessee in 1997 and the fifth since 2014.
Before his first stint as the Niners' defensive coordinator that
began on 2017, he worked as an assistant with Houston, Seattle and
Jacksonville.
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