San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is on the verge of becoming the new head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Titans are working to finalize a deal to hire Saleh three months after the firing of Brian Callahan.
The 46-year-old, who previously spent three-and-a-half years as New York Jets head coach, is said to have spent Monday in Tennessee with team officials.
The two parties ‘impressed each enough other to move forward together’, Schefter added.
Saleh’s only previous head-coaching role came with the Jets, who fired him in October 2024 after a 2-3 start to the season. It was the first time the franchise parted company with a head coach mid-season since 1975.
After owner Woody Johnson made the change, New York went on to lose nine of their next 12 games under Jeff Ulbrich, who took interim charge until the end of the year.
Robert Saleh is on the verge of becoming the new head coach of the Tennessee Titans
The San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator’s only previous head-coaching role came with the New York Jets
Saleh failed to register a winning season in each of his three full seasons with the Jets, going 4-13 in his first year before consecutive 7-10 finishes.
He departed two days after a 23-17 loss in London against the Minnesota Vikings, bowing out with a 20-36 record as head coach.
After being fired by the Jets, the 46-year-old enjoyed a brief consultancy role with the Green Bay Packers before rejoining the 49ers as defensive coordinator in 2025 – five years after his last spell with the team.
Despite being hit with a string of injuries to key players Saleh’s defense finished 11th in the NFL for points allowed in his first season back at Levi’s Stadium.
That impressive work made him a desired head-coaching candidate for several franchises. He is understood to have held an interview with the Baltimore Ravens, while the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons also requested to speak with him.
However, the Titans now appear to have won the race for Saleh’s signature heading into the offseason.
It was a miserable 2025 season for Tennessee despite rookie quarterback Cam Ward’s impressive year, with a second straight 3-14 record leaving them at the bottom of the AFC South again.
The Titans finished 3-14 for a second straight year despite Cam Ward’s strong rookie season
Head coach Brian Callahan was fired by the Titans in October after their disastrous 1-5 start
Saleh has built a strong defensive unit since returning to the 49ers as DC
Callahan was fired as head coach in October after their 1-5 start to the season, leaving Mike McCoy in interim charge over the past three months.
Before taking charge of the Jets, ex-Northern Michigan tight end Saleh spent four seasons as 49ers DC.
His first coaching job came at college level with Michigan State, where he served as an offensive assistant and later a defensive assistant before leaving to join Central Michigan.
After a year with Georgia, Saleh then landed his first NFL gig as a defensive intern for the Houston Texans.
He later worked as a defensive quality control coach and an assistant linebackers coach in Houston before moving to the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent three years in the former role before enjoying the same amount of time as a linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
