It’s time to fire Saleh, and Daboll for that matter. I know. It’s three games. I was ready to fire Callahan after Week 1 last year and it took them until October, and I was right then too. This team scored 30 points in its first two games, lost at home to the Jets and at home to the Eagles, and whatever happened against Jameis Winston and the Giants on Sunday in the first half, I had already made up my mind. I didn’t want Saleh when they hired him and nothing since has changed that. They fumbled the opening kick, and proceeded to go 3 and out on every drive until the last one, in which they run a dumb pick play, end up kicking a 60 yard, which had not a single prayer, and instead of potentially going up 7-6 before half and correcting all the horrors, instead go down 9-6.
So I looked it up. If the Titans fired Robert Saleh tomorrow, three games into his first season, it would be the shortest tenure for a permanent head coach in the history of the league, and it wouldn’t be close. I obviously don't expect them to but boy do I want them to. They should. And they should already be focusing on who will be playing QB in 2027. Here are the ten shortest coaching situations ever, by games coached.
The Shortest Head Coaching Tenures in NFL History
| Coach | Team | Games | Record | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0. Robert Saleh | Titans, 2026 | 3 | If they did it Monday. Would be the shortest tenure of any permanent head coach in league history by six games. | |
| 1. Pete McCulley | 49ers, 1978 | 9 | 1-8 | Fired midseason. The record holder. Nobody has been hired as the permanent guy and lasted fewer games. |
| 2. Frank Reich | Panthers, 2023 | 11 | 1-10 | Fired after eleven games with the number one pick at quarterback. Bryce Young is fine in for Carolina right now, so it wasn’t him. |
| 3. Lou Holtz | Jets, 1976 | 13 | 3-10 | Quit before the last game to go back to college. The Jets have been the Jets for a long time. |
| 4. Bobby Petrino | Falcons, 2007 | 13 | 3-10 | Quit for Arkansas with three games left and told the players with a note in their lockers. |
| 5. Urban Meyer | Jaguars, 2021 | 13 | 2-11 | Fired in December after the bar video, the kicker, and everything else. The modern standard for a hire going wrong. |
| 6. Ed Hughes | Oilers, 1971 | 14 | 4-9-1 | One season and out. The Oilers moved on after fourteen games. |
| 7. Nathaniel Hackett | Broncos, 2022 | 15 | 4-11 | Fired with two games left, the first year of the Russell Wilson trade. |
| 8. Cam Cameron | Dolphins, 2007 | 16 | 1-15 | Made it through the full season, barely, and then didn’t. |
| 9. Rod Rust | Patriots, 1990 | 16 | 1-15 | One year, one win, done. |
| 10. Les Steckel | Vikings, 1984 | 16 | 3-13 | Ran the team like a boot camp and got sixteen games out of it. |
Permanent hires only, regular season games coached. Interim coaches who never got the full-time job are not on the list.
The current record is nine games, Pete McCulley with the 1978 49ers. Frank Reich got eleven in Carolina. Three guys got thirteen, and two of those quit. The rest of the list is coaches who made it through one full season and got walked out the door the next morning. Every one of them had more time than Saleh has had, and every one of them got fired anyway.
I understand the argument for patience. New coach, new coordinator, young quarterback in year two, give it a year. I also watched the year. Cam Ward had one touchdown pass in the first two games. The defense that was supposed to be Saleh’s whole resume gave up 23 to the Jets and 24 to the Eagles. and but for the rain, the Giants would be doing the same thing. Brian Daboll was hired to fix the offense and the offense is averaging 15 points. This is the most uncompetitive team I have watched in a long time and I have watched this team for a long time.
Yes, 3 games in, it’s time to fire Robert Saleh, and Brian Daboll. GM too. Can't fire the owner unfortunately.