The real reason why Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans' Week 1 game vs Jets matters

The Robert Saleh revenge angle is going to get a lot of attention in Week 1, but the reported matchup between the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets to start the season is a lot more interesting than just the Saleh connection.

Per a report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Titans will start the year at home against the Jets. It'll be Saleh's first game as Titans coach, and his first game as anyone's head coach since the Jets fired him five games into the 2024 season.

There's plenty to unpack with this matchup, and Saleh's at the center. He's brought five of his former Jets players with him to Nashville, as well as three assistants from his New York staff. And the Jets were the Titans' trade partner in two the surprising moves that sent CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr., and NT T'Vondre Sweat out of Nashville just two years into their rookie contracts.

The storylines loom large. But the stakes of the game have very little to do with the behind-the-scenes dynamics. Yes, the Jets fired Saleh in an unceremonious way, one that's been reported to have involved back-room discussions with a meddling ownership group and one that came in the middle of a strange, complicated time in Jets history where quarterback Aaron Rodgers' influence forced the team into a win-now window perhaps prematurely.

None of that actually matters for the Titans, though.

For the Titans, this is the first opportunity to open a season at home since 2022, and a real chance to start 1-0, something the Titans haven't done since 2020. The Jets have a talented roster, and one that's gotten more dangerous since they finagled their way to three first-round picks in April's NFL draft.

That said, coach Aaron Glenn's coming off a disappointing Year 1 when he went 3-14, and has since seized control over the defensive play-calling. He fired both of his coordinators after just one season and installed veteran coach Frank Reich as offensive coordinator, a role he hasn't held since 2017. And the quarterback situation is a mess, with the Jets bringing back Geno Smith as a stopgap despite Smith coming off a 2-13 season last year in Las Vegas where he led the NFL in interceptions.

There aren't many teams with longer odds to win the Super Bowl than the Titans, but the Jets' odds are worse according to BetMGM, FanDuel and DraftKings.

If this game were scheduled for later in the season, the revenge angle would be a strong selling point. But coming at Week 1, the game has to function as more of a litmus test for who the Titans are when measured against weaker competition.

Starting the season with some revenge for Saleh would be a nice confidence booster. Starting the season with a win in a winnable game would be a lot more significant. And, conversely, starting the season with a loss against a team that's thought to be tanking for a quarterback in next year's draft could go a long way toward sewing doubt and frustration from a Titans fan base desperate to see some positive change.

So, yes, opening the year at Nissan Stadium against Saleh's former team is an interesting narrative. But that narrative carries more heft for the Jets than for the Titans. From a Titans perspective, this game matters because it's one of the few games they'll play all year that they'll be expected to win, and not taking advantage of that opportunity early in the year would be a big setback.

Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans with New York Jets ties

• Robert Saleh: Jets head coach, 2021-24
• Aaron Whitecotton: Jets DL coach, 2021-24
• Marquand Manuel: Jets safeties coach, 2021-24
• Tony Oden: Jets CBs coach, 2021-24
• John Franklin-Myers: Jets DL, 2019-23
• Solomon Thomas: Jets DL, 2019-23
• Jermaine Johnson II: Jets edge, 2022-25
• Michael Carter: Jets RB, 2021-23
• Tony Adams: Jets safety, 2022-25

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans, Robert Saleh's revenge matchup vs Jets matters for totally new reason