NFL news: Titans nearing deal to make Robert Saleh head coach

The Tennessee Titans are the next team off the head coach search board, and they’re going with someone experienced in that department in the NFL. 

Robert Saleh, the San Francisco 49ers’ star defensive coordinator, are working to finalize a deal with the Titans to make him their next head coach, according to multiple reports.

Saleh couldn’t get things turned around with the New York Jets in his 56 career games with the franchise from 2021-24, but the Titans are ready to give him another crack at molding a young roster centered around the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward.

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Saleh marks the fourth head coaching hire in this wild NFL cycle. And the three previous hires — John Harbaugh (New York Giants), Kevin Stefanski (Atlanta Falcons) and Jeff Hafley (Miami Dolphins) — were all on the Titans’ interview schedule before being scooped up elsewhere.

The Titans announced Saleh and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy had in-person interviews on Monday, and it’s clear now the 49ers coach said all the right things to make ownership believe he’s the best hire.

Tennessee wasn’t waiting any longer, and they pulled the trigger on Saleh, a defensive whiz with a leader-of-men personality that has shined through in his vast experience as a coach in the league.

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Saleh started entering the head coach conversation when he got his shot as defensive coordinator under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2017. The 49ers developed into a great team by the 2019 campaign, where Saleh’s defense played a vital role in a trip to the Super Bowl. They would ultimately lose to the Kansas City Chiefs.

After a 6-10 season in San Fran the following year, the Jets made Saleh their next head coach, where his motto, “All Gas, No Brakes” became a sticking point for everyone in Florham Park.

But, while the Jets’ defense became one of the best units in the sport under Saleh’s tutelage, they were never able to break their postseason drought.

The Jets’ best record under Saleh was 7-10, which came in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023. Then, after just five games in 2024, where the Jets went 2-3, owner Woody Johnson made the call to fire Saleh and promote defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to interim head coach.

Shanahan came calling for Saleh to take back his role in the Bay Area, and he was dealt a tough hand with key players Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, among others, being lost for the season due to injury.

However, a young 49ers defense was coached up by Saleh and the rest of the staff to produce a unit that took off in the second half. The 49ers finished 13th in points allowed per game (21.8), proving to be a group on the rise as they made their way to the playoffs.

Their best win came in the Wild Card Round, going into Philadelphia and taking down the reigning Super Bowl-champion Eagles to move on. Unfortunately, the Seattle Seahawks were too much for the 49ers, blowing them out 41-6 this past Saturday to end their season.

Just two days later, Saleh is moving to “Music City,” where he faces a similar situation he saw in New York — a team desperate to turn things around sooner than later.

Tennessee has gone 3-14 in each of the last two seasons. But they have the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft and nine total picks in April.

Also, the Titans have a whopping $93.5 million in cap space to spend in free agency, where GM Mike Borgonzi can be aggressive to bolster Saleh’s roster for competition in what is an improving AFC South conference.

This is the third job Saleh has had in the AFC South, having coached the Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars in the past. He was with the Jags from 2014-16 as the team’s linebackers coach before joining Shanahan in San Francisco.

As for the NFL head coaching search, another team was added on Monday, with the surprising firing of Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott.

With four spots filled, six remain in the Bills, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Arizona Cardinals.

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