Potential Titans’ head coach candidate goes on the record about the next job he’ll take after nearly becoming an AFC South rival

Robert Saleh was nearly Tennessee’s rival. Now, he might be a favorite to be its new leader.

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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As the Tennessee Titans gear up to begin their head coaching search in earnest in January, Robert Saleh remains atop many coaching shortlists around the country.

The former Jets head coach and current 49ers defensive coordinator led another opportunistic effort with a severely depleted unit on Monday Night Football in Indianapolis this week, yet again finding ways to get stops without LB Fred Warner and EDGE Nick Bosa.

He sat down with ESPN 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner recently to discuss his future as a coach, and there’s a lot in this article that the Titans need to pay attention.

Robert Saleh will be a head coach again, but would he pick the Titans?

Here’s the link to Wagoner’s article, which I highly recommend reading in its entirety. In it, he lays out the timeline that led Saleh from New York back to San Francisco, where he was the defensive coordinator before getting the Jets job.

After being fired early in the 2024 season, Saleh worked in an advisory role in Green Bay until the offseason. Then, in a rare instance of head coaching interviews the first year after getting fired, he interviewed for the Cowboys, Raiders, and Jaguars jobs.

“According to league sources familiar with the discussions, Saleh was the perceived leader in Jacksonville for about 24 hours before Liam Coen opted to take the job after initially declining,” Wagoner wrote. “Saleh also was a finalist for the Raiders’ coaching job, then rejected an offer to be the Raiders’ defensive coordinator and the eventual successor to coach Pete Carroll. Saleh finally reunited with the Niners on Jan. 24.”

I know that Saleh wants to be a head coach again, and that his ambition to do so has him champing at the bit to get back to the top soon. But don’t take my vague insider-y word for it, just look at his actions. He was going to take the Jaguars’ job immediately after getting fired in New York. He wants another crack at this thing.

You can also take his word for it. In the article, Saleh says, “everyone wants to be at the top of their profession, and they want to succeed at that just to see how far they can go and what they can achieve… Is my desire to get to the top of the profession and hoist the Lombardi one day? Absolutely. Am I in a hurry? No, I love it here. Obviously, the desire is there, but at the same time, it’s not desperation.

Robert Saleh’s coaching resume looks better than Titans fans might think

You can read a profile I wrote on Saleh a few weeks ago, if you want more on his background and player history. In short, his 20-36 record in New York has aged gracefully. He was trying to piece it together offensively with QBs such as Zach Wilson, Mike White, Brett Rypien, and Trevor Siemian starting games.

He led a top-three defense throughout his tenure, which fell apart the minute he left. And Aaron Glenn’s 3-12 start this year underlines just how poor that situation is right now. He sounds like a guy who learned a lot from managing a full team rather than coordinating one side of the ball.

Who he brings with him as the offensive brain trust in his next job will be absolutely critical. From the Wagoner article, “a veteran NFL coach said Saleh should be helped by good relationships with offensive coordinator candidates from the Shanahan tree — such as Niners coordinator Klay Kubiak, Rams coordinator Mike LaFleur and, potentially, Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel (if he is fired at the end of the season) — to bring with him.”

Respectfully, the other LaFleur and the other other (other?) Kubiak doesn’t inspire much confidence at first glance. If the Titans were to put their faith in Saleh, they’d need a good reason to buy into his plan for Cam Ward and the offense.

Fair to Saleh or not, the last highly-drafted QB under his tutelage — Wilson — has failed to the point of being the backup to rookie (backup) Quinn Ewers in Miami right now. But Saleh owns his first stint as a head coach:

“We didn’t do a good enough job, and the owner decided that it was time to move on, and so that’s what it is,” Saleh said of his exit from the Jets. “That’s where I’ve got to look inward and see what we could have done better, and those are the things that I’ve been trying to learn from those experiences so if that opportunity presents itself again, I’ll be more prepared.”

Saleh is one of my four favorite options for this job, and has remained so since Callahan was fired in the first place. I expect the Titans to interview him at least once.

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