Robert Saleh kicks off his first season as the Tennessee Titans head coach this Sunday, but it is not just any game, it is a showdown against his old squad, the New York Jets, in Nashville. The Jets shockingly fired Saleh five games into his fourth season back in 2024 after a 20-36 run, a move that his long-time player Solomon Thomas calls “so wrong.” Thomas, who has played under Saleh for eight of his ten NFL years, is not holding back, especially when you consider how that 2024 season was actually shaping up for New York.
The Firing That Made Zero Sense
Thomas pulls zero punches talking about the Jets’ decision. “We were tied for first in our division and our head coach gets fired,” he told Nick Suss of the Tennessean. “In no situation would that ever make sense. I’m sorry. I will talk about that.” Think about that for a second. The 2024 Jets actually started their year with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but then bounced back, beating the Titans and the New England Patriots to hit a 2-1 record. They were right there! But then the offense stalled out, dropping back-to-back games against the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings, taking them to 2-3. That put them just one game back of the first-place Buffalo Bills, and still, Saleh got axed two days after that Vikings loss. Talk about a brutal end for a coach who, by all accounts from Thomas, still had the locker room.
Loyalty, Disconnect, and a Fresh Start
The loyalty Saleh commands is absolutely real. Thomas, who has literally followed Saleh from the 49ers (where Saleh was DC from 2017-2020 and again in 2025) to the Jets (where he was HC from 2022-2024) and now to Nashville, is proof of that. Thomas even stated, “Just the fact that he has so many former Jets here just shows that guys love playing for him. They know what he’s about to do here and they want to be a part of it.” But Thomas also shed light on a deeper issue with the Jets tenure, a “disconnect based on what was portrayed from the front office to the locker room.” He pointed out that more “distracting” things were coming from the front office than from the players, making it “unfortunate because our locker room was really the opposite of what was going on in the front office.”
Now, Saleh is back as a head coach after excelling as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator last year, and this Sunday is a massive tone-setter. The Titans, coming off their own 3-14 season, completely overhauled their coaching staff and are investing heavily around second-year quarterback Cam Ward, the 2025 NFL draft’s top pick. The Jets also limped to a 3-14 record last season, so this is absolutely a beatable opponent. Getting the Saleh era started with a win at 1 p.m. ET from Nissan Stadium is crucially important. It is a chance to prove Thomas right and silence the doubters from that “so wrong” firing.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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