Jan. 19, 2026, 11:24 p.m. CT

There’s a new head coach in the AFC South.

And this time? He has a quarterback.

According to reports, the Tennessee Titans are set to hire San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their next head coach. Saleh, who previously spent three-plus seasons with the New York Jets, was a finalist, alongside Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

Saleh, who now will make his third stop in the AFC South after spending time with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, has spent over two decades in the NFL. Following a 20-36 record with the Jets, Saleh returned to San Francisco as the team’s defensive coordinator, where he guided the Niners to a top 12 finish in scoring (22.3 points per contest) while bolstering one of the league’s more balanced units that dealt with constant injuries.

Behind Saleh, the 49ers managed to go 12-5 in the regular season and had an opportunity in Week 18 to secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed. In both the final game of the regular season and in the NFC Divisional Round, the 49ers fell short to the Seattle Seahawks.

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Saleh is set to replace Brian Callahan, who went 4-19 during his tenure in Nashville, which resulted in Tennessee earning the No. 1 overall pick. That turned out to be Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who showed potential as a long-term solution for the Music City franchise as a prolific signal-caller, completing 59.8% of his passes with 3,169 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 16 games.

Now in the NFC South, Saleh will take on his former protege and current Texans coach, DeMeco Ryans, who replaced the new Titans coach as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator following his hiring with the New York Jets. A year later, the Texans hired the former Pro Bowl linebacker as the sixth coach in franchise history.

Since his hiring, Ryans and the Texans have been the epitome of stability in the AFC South, securing 32 wins and two division titles, along with three playoff victories in as many seasons. Against the Titans, Houston has gone 5-1, though Saleh went 1-0 against the Texans with a 30-6 win in 2023.

The Titans own the No. 4 pick in April’s draft. Defense could be the focus since Tennessee ranked 28th in scoring defense, allowing 28.1 points per contest.