Two 3-14 teams, one opening Sunday
Same record, same misery. Tennessee and the New York Jets both finished 2025 at 3-14, and now they open the season against each other in Nashville.
The subplot sits on the Titans sideline. Robert Saleh is their new head coach, and his first shot at the job came with the Jets, where it never took. He rebuilt his reputation as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator before Tennessee came calling.
The Titans needed the reset. Brian Callahan lost the room and the job after a 1-5 start last year, following a 3-14 debut campaign. Mike McCoy took over on an interim basis and landed on exactly the same 3-14.
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Saleh is betting his job on Cam Ward
Ward’s rookie season, after going No. 1 in the 2025 draft, was a slog. The protection leaked and the receiving corps offered little. He still threw for 3,169 yards with 15 touchdowns against 7 interceptions, completing 59.8% of his passes.
Saleh does not do hedging. “That kid is not going to fail,” he said. “Obviously, I am putting my job on that. But he is not going to fail. He is special.”
The roster moves back that up. Wan’Dale Robinson arrives from the Giants and rookie Carnell Tate joins him to stretch the field. Up front, Tennessee added Jermaine Johnson from New York, John Franklin-Myers from Denver and Jacob Martin from Washington. “Winning in Week 1, getting off to a fast start, that is always good,” Saleh said.
A Jets defense that went a whole year without an interception
Aaron Glenn starts year two carrying a record nobody wants. New York’s defense failed to pick off a single pass, the first team to manage that since the NFL began tracking the stat in 1933.
December was its own disaster. The Jets were outscored by 107 points in that month, a league record, finishing the season at minus 203.
So they went shopping for experience. Geno Smith returns for a second spell in New York after a bruising year in Las Vegas. Linebacker Demario Davis and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick were brought in to give the defense some teeth.
Garrett Wilson is convinced. “I have seen everything I needed to see from the guys we have,” the receiver said. “Something is going to happen this year.” Tennessee lead the all-time series 25-21-1, though the Jets have taken four of the last five, including a 24-17 win in Nashville two years ago.
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