Titans to hire 49ers DC Robert Saleh as head coach, who was rumored to be fired from Jets HC role because of Aaron Rodgers

Robert Saleh, a 46-year-old professional football coach and current San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator, is expected to be hired as the Tennessee Titans’ head coach. Tennessee fired head coach Brian Callahan midseason after a 1-5 start and brought in interim head coach Mike McCoy for the rest of the 2025 season. “I have developed a good relationship with coach [Mike] McCoy since the pre-draft process,” Titans rookie quarterback, Cam Ward, said in Oct. 2025. “And I think his history with other top quarterbacks will benefit me over the rest of my rookie season.” Tennessee Titans went 2-9 with Brian Callahan and 3-14 with Mike McCoy in 2025.Now, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft will reportedly work with Robert Saleh, who was rumored to be fired from the New York Jets head coach role because of Aaron Rodgers.Robert Saleh served as the Jets’ head coach from 2021 to 2024. The Pittsburgh Steelers veteran quarterback played for Saleh in 2023 and 2024.The two years were probably the worst chapters of Rodgers’ life. 2023 was marred by a season-ending left Achilles tendon injury, and the season ended with a 7-10 record. The 2024 season saw only five wins and 12 losses. Saleh was fired after five games that season. He finished with 20 wins and 36 losses as the Jets’ head coach. Rumors began that Rodgers influenced Jets owner Woody Johnson’s decision to change coaches after only five games. Rodgers addressed these rumors in October 2024.“As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there,” Rodgers said via ESPN’s Rich Cimini in 2024. “I’m not going to spend more than one sentence in response to it, and that is that I resent any of those accusations because they are patently false. It’s interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don’t. I love Robert [Saleh].”Cimini reported that Saleh was preparing to demote the then-offensive coordinator and play caller Nathaniel Hackett, a close friend of Rodgers. This decision may have upset Rodgers. A day after Saleh was fired, several players were stunned.On Monday night [in Oct. 2024], Rodgers received a call from Johnson that made no mention of Saleh. Saleh was fired the next day, Tuesday. On The Pat McAfee Show [in 2024], Rodgers expressed empathy for Saleh and his family and spoke about the call from the Jets owner.“We had a short conversation,” Rodgers said. “I appreciated the call. It was a genuine call. He [Woody Johnson] just asked me how I was doing. Obviously, I got rolled up on in the game, my ankle got pretty banged up, so he was just calling and asking how I was doing. We talked about the game and how disappointed I was in my performance, that I’m going to play better, and that we’re going to get this thing turned around. And then, we hung up. At that point, Woody [Jets owner] had no obligation to let me know what his plans are. Whether or not he knew what he was doing in that moment is inconsequential.”On Tuesday [in Oct. 2024], when Saleh was fired, Johnson said, it was “my decision and mine alone.” Cimini’s sources said he discussed it briefly only with the then-general manager Joe Douglas before terminating Saleh. Johnson said he solicited no input from Rodgers. After being fired, Saleh was an offensive consultant for the Green Bay Packers in 2024. In 2025, he was hired by the San Francisco 49ers as their defensive coordinator.In January 2026, the official X account of the NFL announced that the Titans are set to hire former 49ers DC Robert Saleh as their new head coach [via NFL insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo]. This is his second chance at head coach's role.