NASHVILLE – The Titans have officially hired Robert Saleh as the team's new head coach.
Here are five things to know about Saleh:
Saleh is an Experienced Coach
Saleh spent this past season as defensive coordinator with the 49ers. It was his second stint with the team.
Saleh also spent 3 ½ years as head coach of the New York Jets (2021-2024).
Before taking the helm in New York, Saleh spent four seasons (2017-20) as the defensive coordinator for the 49ers, which included a Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2020 season. In 2019, Saleh was named Coordinator of the Year by Sporting News after leading the 49ers defense to rank second in the NFL in total yards allowed per game (281.8), the fewest total yards allowed per game by the team since 1997 (250.8).
During his time in the NFL, Saleh has been a part of nine top-10 defenses, and in his nine seasons as a defensive coordinator or head coach, his team has finished in the top five in total defense on five occasions.
In addition to his time with the Jets and 49ers, Saleh has also coached with the Jaguars, Seahawks and Texans in the NFL, and in college at Georgia, Central Michigan, Michigan State.
Saleh is Lebanese, and he has Eight Children
Saleh was born in Dearborn, Michigan, to a family of Lebanese immigrants.
Saleh was the first Muslim head coach in NFL history.
Both of Saleh's parents were born in Lebanon and immigrated to the U.S. ahead of his birth in 1979.
Saleh and his wife, Sanaa, have eight children: six sons, Adam, Zane, Michael, Sam, Jacob, Robert Jr, and two daughters, Mila and Ella.
Saleh's Brother Escaped One of the Twin Towers on 9/11
Saleh's older brother, David, was at work in the South Tower during the September 11th attack in 2001.
He was training to be a financial advisor in New York during the terrorist attacks.
Despite initial reports of an attack on the North Tower being an isolated event, Saleh's brother rushed to escape. He made it down the stairs from the 61st floor into the lobby and into the streets of New York before the towers collapsed.
"You look at the events that transpired, you know, you look at my brother," Saleh said in an NFL 360 feature. "He was 25 at the time. It's just, is he really doing what he really wanted to do? Am I really doing what I wanted to do?... I sat in a cubicle, crunched numbers all day. You know, that Super Bowl (that year), awesome game obviously - Patriots vs. Rams. That next morning, I'm sitting in my cubicle, and I just start crying."
Saleh Can Be a Fiery Guy
Much has been made of Saleh's demeanor.
During the week, and in his everyday life, he comes across as a pretty easygoing guy.
But we've seen him get riled up on game days.
On the sideline, Saleh is a fist-pumper, and he can be a yeller. He's an emotional motivator.
One of Saleh's favorite sayings is "All Gas, No Brakes." The words were plastered on the walls at the Jets facility for a while, and Saleh and his staff sometimes wore shirts with the phrase, or with its acronym, AGNB.
"When we talk about all gas and no brakes, we're not talking about effort on the field," Saleh said at his introductory news conference in 2021. "We're talking about the process in which we do things. We're talking about the way we prepare, the way we wake up every single morning, the way we rehab, the way we communicate, the way we speak to one another."
And, of course, there was the on-field confrontation with Jaguars coach Liam Coen following a game during the 2025 season.
Saleh's hiring immediately turns things up a notch in the Titans-Jaguars rivalry.
Saleh Has Coached, and Helped Develop, Some Good Players
While with the Jets, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner developed nicely under Saleh's watch.
Williams became an All-Pro, and Gardner was Rookie of the Year before turning into one of the league's top corners. Linebacker C.J. Mosley returned to Pro Bowl form under Saleh.
The 2023 Jets featured two AP First-Team All-Pros in Gardner and LB Quincy Williams as well as three Pro Bowl selections in Gardner, Jermaine Johnson II and Williams.
With the 49ers, Fred Warner transformed into an All-Pro linebacker .
Rookie DL Nick Bosa was named Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press and the PFWA, and Rookie of the Year by Sporting News, PFWA and Pepsi. Rookie LB Dre Greenlaw was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team. CB Richard Sherman was named AP Second-Team All-Pro in 2019.
Earlier in his career with the Seahawks, while working under linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr., Saleh aided in the development of LB K.J. Wright, LB Bobby Wagner and Super Bowl XLVIII MVP LB Malcolm Smith.
While coaching in Houston, Saleh oversaw the growth of the Texans linebackers, including AP Defensive Rookie of the Year performances by DeMeco Ryans (2006) and Brian Cushing (2009).
