The Arizona Cardinals are in the midst of their search for their next head coach, and it is safe to say that they have done their due diligence as a front office. The team has reached out to around 14 candidates, but it seems as if they may have taken too long to secure a deal with one of their top options.
The Cardinals brought in San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for his first interview on Jan.15, two days before he was supposed to coach against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round.
The 49ers stood no chance and lost 41–6, meaning Saleh was officially available to accept any head coaching position.
The Cardinals were preparing to bring Saleh in for a second interview, but one AFC South bottom-feeder came in at the last minute and scooped up what was one of the team’s top candidates.
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Robert Saleh to become the next head coach of Tennessee Titans
A kick in the gut, to say the least, as Saleh can turn a locker room around. He did so with the 49ers defense, a unit that underwent so much turmoil over the course of the 2025 season. The team was missing Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and Mykel Williams in their front seven and still managed to finish 12–5.
A lot of the credit goes to head coach Kyle Shanahan for his ability to turn coordinators into head coaches, and especially for the way he handled the 2025 season.
Saleh, 46, has had a head coaching stint with the New York Jets, where he went 20–36. While the record may seem bad, he was by no means the direct problem.
It will be incredibly interesting to see how he does in Tennessee, but painful for Arizona to see their top guy take a job elsewhere.