August 13, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh looks on during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The NFL schedule makers always seem to have a sense of humor, so it was little surprise that Titans head coach Robert Saleh’s first game with his new team would be against the team that fired him two years ago.
The New York Jets open their 2026 season on Sunday down in Tennessee against the head coach who led them for parts of four seasons from 2021 through the first five games of 2024. Saleh went 20-36 in that time and was fired after Gang Green started 2-3 amid a year with high expectations.
This Titans job is Saleh’s second-ever head-coaching gig.
“New York is still a special place,” Saleh said. “They 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 opportunities that they gave. I don’t hold grudges.”
Neither the Titans nor the Jets are projected to go far this season. New York is rolling into 2026 with a not-so-new quarterback in Geno Smith and a defense that was gutted of its stars at last year’s trade deadline.
Still, Saleh is happy to keep tabs on his old team and wishes them well.
“It’s fun to turn on the tape and look at [wide receiver] Garrett Wilson and [running back] Breece Hall and all the guys that we had, whether it was [defensive end] Will McDonald, [tight end] Jeremy Ruckert’s still rolling, [offensive lineman Olu] Fashanu has grown so much, we had him as a rookie,” Saleh said. “Those backs, Isaiah Davis, Braelon Allen, they’re studs all the way across the board. It’s a really good group. They’re doing a really good job, and they’ve got a hell of an offense and a chance to be really, really good.”
The Titans are stuck in neutral, too, after going 3-14 last season. The hope is that Saleh will turn things around, and it starts with the young duo of second-year quarterback Cam Ward and rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate.
The Titans also have former Jets defenders Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers, further adding to his perceived backdrop of Week 1 being a revenge game.
“They’re old enough to know to keep the main thing the main thing,” Saleh said.
For more on Robert Saleh and the Jets, visit AMNY.com
