Dismissing revenge narratives, Robert Saleh enters Week 1 prioritizing execution over emotion as the Titans prepare to host his former team in a high-stakes, sentimental season opener.
Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh has had a lot of stops in the NFL.
His first NFL job was with the Houston Texans in 2005 as a defensive intern. He then worked his way up to a defensive quality control coach in 2006 and was the assistant linebackers coach in 2009.
He then left for the Seattle Seahawks in 2011 to be a defensive quality control coach again. Saleh's next job was with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014 as the linebackers coach.
He then had his first stint with the San Francisco 49ers as defensive coordinator in 2017 before becoming a head coach for the first time with the New York Jets in 2021.
Saleh was fired in 2024 and joined the Green Bay Packers as an offensive consultant. He had his second stint with the 49ers as DC in 2025 and is now getting another chance at being a head coach.
The NFL knew what it was doing when it scheduled the Titans' Week 1 opponent. The Titans are taking on the New York Jets at Nissan Stadium on Sept. 13 in the season opener.
It's going to be special for several reasons.
For one, former Titans running back Chris Johnson is being inducted into the Ring of Honor following the heartbreaking news of his ALS diagnosis.
The atmosphere will be electric for that reason alone, but the game also holds special significance for Saleh, as he's facing his old team.
Naturally, it might be expected that Saleh would be fired up heading into the game and want to prove the Jets wrong by beating them.
Instead, he shared that he doesn't hold grudges and has nothing but respect for the franchise at Tuesday's press conference. Saleh didn't fall for the bait when the reporter asked him about it.
"No, you know what?" Saleh said. "I've said it before, and I don't BS when I say it. New York is still a special place. Gave me my first opportunity as a head coach. Our desire to win Week 1 is beat the Jets because it's Week 1 and nothing more. I'm forever grateful for all the opportunity they gave. I don't hold grudges."
Saleh is motivated by wanting to win and get the season off to a good start, nothing more. It would make sense if he were a little more amped up heading into the game because of his ties to the Jets, but he's simply approaching it like any other game.
The Titans and Jets meet at Nissan Stadium on Sept. 13 at noon CT on CBS.
