NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Early word was that Robert Saleh was monitoring two jobs: the Titans, who came open back on Oct. 13, 2025, and the Dolphins if something happened with Mike McDaniel.
Tennessee had a lot of time to investigate him, while Mike McCoy coached its last 11 games. While Saleh coordinated the defense for the 49ers through the divisional round of the playoffs, he had time, too.
“Shamelessly, I probably did as much research on this organization and the people, the leadership committee in this organization, than they probably did on me,” he said. “And did a ton of research on everything I could in terms of from top, all the way down.”
“And what I found is that the people here are unbelievable. Getting a chance to meet everybody in person was an affirmation to what I had already heard.”
But what, really, could Saleh have learned?
A coach looking for his second chance in the league could put together relatively in-depth scouting reports on Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker as well as other key people in the organization like Burke Nihill.
Saleh has worked for six NFL organizations and his ability to connect with people is one of the things that made him so attractive to the Titans. That gives him a wide network of people who know people, and people who know people who know people.
As for homework on Amy Adams Strunk… Everyone who worked for her in a position of power has had a bad ending, which is the case for just about anyone with any owner in any league but for the occasional retirement.
The coaching references:
Mike Mularkey
Mike Vrabel
Brian Callahan.
The GMs:
Ruston Webster
Jon Robinson
Ran Carthon.
Webster probably has the most unique story, as Strunk inherited him and let his contract expire.
The rest went from beloved to ousted, some more deserving of their plummet than others. They lived through a rolling environment, where Strunk had them as most favored at one time early to least favored as someone new came in behind them.
She’s known to stay out of things until an issue – warranted or not -- gets her attention and thrusts her into action.
Perception is she backed far out of this hire, which included 16 candidates, until Jan. 19, when Borgonzi had trimmed to finalists. She’s been ready to go with Borgonzi and Brinker to Maryland to make a case to John Harbaugh, but he chose the 100-year-old New York Giants before their plane could take off. Kevin Stefanski was already gone, signed by Atlanta.
She was in interviews with Matt Nagy and Saleh while Miami was locking up Jeff Hafley, and indications are she was fine with Borgonzi going either direction.
Bryce Wasserman, her son-in-law and Brinker’s chief of staff, is perceived by many – fairly or not – as her eyes and ears. I don;t know if he was not in all the first-round interviews, where Reggie McKenzie, Davie Ziegler and Dave Saganey rounded out Borgonzi’s committee. I know he wasn't in at least some of them.
Wasserman was part of the finalists’ day.
Saleh said Strunk’s willingness to pump money into the facility, the new stadium and the team “speaks volumes to her commitment to build a winner.”
“I think she knows exactly what she’s looking for, exactly what it takes,” he said.
He got a five-year contract. He was asked about assurances of the sort of continuity that’s been sorely lacking as the team’s fired four prominent leadership people in a span of two years, seven months and seven days.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to produce,” he said. “It’s a production business. I have full confidence that we are at least going to have the resources to be able to compete with 31 other teams. And as a coach, that’s all you can ask for.”
“Stuff like that doesn’t need to be spoken; people can always say what they want to say. I see better than I hear. And what I see is an organization that is going all in with regard to reframing who they are and building a consistent winner in the NFL. For me, that’s good enough.”