NASHVILLE (AP) — Robert Saleh is getting another shot at turning around a struggling franchise.
The Tennessee Titans are betting it goes better than the first.
The Titans signed Saleh, the former 49ers defensive coordinator, to a five-year contract on Thursday, tasking the 46-year-old with guiding Tennessee back into contention following back-to-back 3-14 seasons.
“Robert embodies the fundamental values of what we believe a Titan should look like and represent,” general manager Mike Borgonzi said in a statement. “He’s smart, tough, dependable, and values working with people. His innate ability to lead and respond to adversity is what makes him the right person to lead our football program back to one whose identity embodies sustainable success.”
Saleh went 20-36 while coaching the New York Jets from 2021-24 before returning to San Francisco for a second stint as defensive coordinator. He takes over a team that has a talented young quarterback in rookie Cam Ward, the top overall pick in the 2025 draft, but plenty of holes elsewhere on the roster. The 49ers beat the Titans 37-24 in December.
Saleh met with Ward on Tuesday night after reaching a tentative agreement with the Titans and will formally be introduced as the 22nd coach in franchise history — and eighth since the club left Houston for Tennessee in 1997 — next Wednesday.
“The right people are here,” Saleh said in a statement. “And any time you can surround yourself with the right people you know you are in the right spot.”