 Saleh with theTennessee Titans in 2026 | |
| Tennessee Titans | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1979-01-31)January 31, 1979 (age 47) Dearborn, Michigan, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Fordson (Dearborn) |
| College | Northern Michigan (1997–2000) |
| Position | Tight end |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | 20–36 (.357) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
Robert Jalal Saleh[1] (born January 31, 1979) is an American professionalfootball coach who is thehead coach for theTennessee Titans of theNational Football League (NFL). He previously served as thedefensive coordinator for theSan Francisco 49ers in 2025 and the head coach of theNew York Jets from 2021 to 2024. Prior to joining the Jets, Saleh was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers from 2017 to 2020. He has also been a defensive assistant for theHouston Texans,Seattle Seahawks, andJacksonville Jaguars. Saleh has appeared in two Super Bowls, one each with the Seahawks and 49ers, winningSuper Bowl XLVIII with the former.
Born toLebanese immigrants[2] inDearborn, Michigan, Saleh is a 1997 graduate ofFordson High School[3][4] He attendedNorthern Michigan University inMarquette from 1997 to 2001,[5][6] earning a degree in finance. Saleh was a four-year starter for theWildcats, earning all-conference honors as atight end.[3][7][8]
Saleh's brother, David, was in theSouth Tower during theSeptember 11 attacks inNew York City in 2001 and saw the fireball from the initial plane's impact on theNorth Tower from the building's 61st floor. After ignoring calls by the public intercom within the South Tower to return to their offices, he made it down to the 24th floor before the second plane hit, this time around 50 floors above in his tower. David safely made it to the lobby and was able to escape to safety.[9] Saleh credits this event in providing the spark for him to pursue his dreams of coaching football.[10]
Saleh began his coaching career at the collegiate level in 2002. He spent four years working as a defensive assistant withMichigan State University (2002–03),Central Michigan University (2004)[7] and theUniversity of Georgia (2005).[3][8]
In 2005, Saleh was hired as an intern with theHouston Texans, working with the defensive unit.[11]
In February 2006, Saleh was retained inGary Kubiak's staff as a defensive quality control coach under defensive coordinatorRichard Smith.[11][12][13]
In January 2009, Saleh was promoted to assistant linebackers coach.[14][15]
In February 2011, Saleh was hired as the defensive quality control coach for theSeattle Seahawks underPete Carroll.[16] He spent three seasons with the Seahawks, including their2013 championship season when they defeated theDenver Broncos inSuper Bowl XLVIII.[4] During this span, the defense was known as theLegion of Boom.
On February 10, 2014, Saleh was named linebackers coach for theJacksonville Jaguars under head coachGus Bradley.[17][18] Following Bradley's dismissal in December 2016, Saleh was not retained under new head coachDoug Marrone.
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On February 13, 2017, Saleh was named defensive coordinator for theSan Francisco 49ers under new head coachKyle Shanahan. Shanahan and Saleh previously were assistant coaches for the Texans from 2006 to 2009.[19]
During the2019 season, the 49ers defense was sixth in the league in forced turnovers (27), second in total defense (281.8 yards per game), first in passing defense (169.2 yards per game), and fourth in sacks (48).[20] This was the first time since2003 that the team finished in the top 10 in both scoring and yards per game.[21] Saleh helped lead the 49ers to a 13–3 record and aSuper Bowl LIV berth, where they lost to theKansas City Chiefs by a score of 31–20.[22][23]
On January 14, 2021, Saleh signed a five-year contract to become the head coach of theNew York Jets.[24]
On September 12, 2021, Saleh lost in his head coaching debut against theCarolina Panthers by a score of 19–14. He won his first game as a head coach three weeks later in a 27–24 overtime victory over theTennessee Titans. In his first season as head coach, the Jets finished with a 4–13 record and missed the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive year.[25][26]
In the 2022 season, Saleh led the Jets to a 7–10 record and the team missed the playoffs.[27][28]
On April 26, 2023, the Jets acquired four-time MVP quarterbackAaron Rodgers from theGreen Bay Packers in exchange for their first, second (viaCleveland) and sixth-round selections in the2023 NFL draft and a conditional second-round selection in the2024 NFL draft.[29]
With the arrival of the superstar gunslinger, the Jets went into the2023 season with high projections and were widely expected to make the postseason for the first time since2010 and end their playoff drought. However, just four offensive snaps into New York's Week 1 opener onMonday Night Football against theBuffalo Bills, Rodgers injured his Achillies after being sacked by Bills' defensive endLeonard Floyd,[30] and backupZach Wilson went on to lead the Jets to a 22–16 overtime victory.[31] The next day, Rodgers was diagnosed with anAchilles tendon rupture and was later placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season after just one pass attempt, an incompletion, and forcing the Jets to turn right back to Wilson for the rest of the year.[32][33] With Zach Wilson starting in 11 games, while also juggling betweenTrevor Siemian andTim Boyle in the aftermath of Wilson's ultimate benching, the Jets finished the season with a 7–10 record for the second consecutive year and missing the playoffs once more.[34]
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The Jets began the 2024 season with a 2–3 record underAaron Rodgers, with the two victories being over the Titans and Patriots, who ultimately finished the season 3–14 and 4–13, respectively. On October 8, 2024, two days after a 23–17 loss inLondon to theMinnesota Vikings, Saleh was fired by the Jets.[35] He finished his Jets tenure with a 20–36 (.357) record in just over three seasons.
On October 23, 2024,Green Bay Packers head coachMatt LaFleur confirmed to reporters that he had enlisted Saleh in a consultant role to help with the offensive game plan, but that his role would be "fluid."[36]
On January 24, 2025, Saleh was re-hired by the 49ers to be their defensive coordinator.[37][38]
Despite facing serious depletion from injury, the defense finished 11th in the NFL for points allowed as the team finished with a 12–5 record.[39][40] This performance caused Saleh to become a highly desired head coaching candidate in the 2026 NFL offseason, withthe Ringer ranking him as the third-best head coaching candidate.[41]
On January 22, 2026, Saleh was hired by theTennessee Titans to be their head coach.[42] He later hiredBrian Daboll as his offensive coordinator andGus Bradley as his defensive coordinator.[43][44]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| NYJ | 2021 | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 4th inAFC East | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ | 2022 | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 4th in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ | 2023 | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3rd in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ | 2024 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | Fired | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ total | 20 | 36 | 0 | .357 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |||
| TEN | 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | TBD inAFC South | — | — | — | |
| TEN total | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | |||
| Total | 20 | 36 | 0 | .357 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
Saleh and his wife, Sanaa, have eight children.[18] They both speak Arabic.[45]
Saleh is ofLebanese descent.[46] As part of an NFL heritage program,[47] he has occasionally worn a patch of thenational flag of Lebanon sewn onto his sideline gear.[48][49] Upon his hiring by the Jets, Saleh became the firstMuslim head coach in NFL history.[50][51] He is also the fourth Arab-American head coach of the NFL, afterEd Khayat (Philadelphia Eagles 1971–1972),Abe Gibron (Chicago Bears 1972–1974), andRich Kotite (Philadelphia Eagles 1991–1994), who are all also of Lebanese descent.[52][8]
