Titans Eye Robert Saleh in Ongoing Head Coach Search

The Tennessee Titans have gone down the first-time head coach road twice in a row, and both hires sputtered out of the gate. That’s a trend they can’t afford to repeat.

This time around, the Titans need a steady hand, not another on-the-job training project. They’re looking for a true CEO-type head coach, someone who can oversee both sides of the ball, command the locker room, and manage the weekly grind without getting swallowed by it.

That’s where a proven, retread candidate makes sense. A coach who’s already worn the headset knows how to run the operation, handle the heat and keep the train on the tracks from Day 1.

And now, the Titans are officially putting their money where their mouth is, turning in request slips for an experienced head coach and signaling they’re done gambling on inexperience.

Titans Enter the Saleh Sweepstakes as Coaching Carousel Heats Up

According to Ian Rapoport, the Tennessee Titans have officially put in a request to interview Robert Saleh, the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers.

The #Titans continue their search, and sources say they have request slips in for:
-- #Packers DC Jeff Hafley
-- #49ers DC Robert Saleh
-- #Steelers OC Arthur smith
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 8, 2026

Saleh is quickly turning into one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel, with multiple teams lining up to get face time with one of the league’s most respected defensive minds.

While Saleh’s first crack as a head coach in New York wasn’t smooth sailing, that experience may actually be his biggest selling point now. Like most first-timers, he needed a season to fully grasp what the job really demanded — being a true CEO, staying plugged into both sides of the ball and managing everything that comes with the whistle. Those lessons stuck, and even as a DC again in San Francisco, he’s clearly coaching with that broader perspective.

In hindsight, his run with the New York Jets from 2021–24 looks better than the record suggests. Saleh managed to get real effort and competitiveness out of a roster that was thin on talent and long on chaos. The Jets went 20–36 under his watch, but context matters, and time has been kind to that résumé.

Saleh will be cleared to interview teams after the 49ers’ Wild Card matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee won’t be the only team waiting by the phone.

The 49ers, currently the NFC’s sixth seed, are one of the league’s gold-standard franchises, stable, successful, and culture-driven. The fact that they were willing to overhaul their defensive staff just to bring Saleh back speaks volumes. That alone should register loudly inside the Titans’ front office about his football IQ, leadership chops, and impact on a winning locker room.

Saleh is also scheduled to interview with the Arizona Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons, but Tennessee getting in early shows they’re serious about landing a coach who’s been through the fire, and come out sharper on the other side.

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