The Tennessee Titans open the 2026 NFL season at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, September 13, at 1 p.m. ET on CBS against the New York Jets. The game marks the start of a new era in Tennessee under head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, as they try to improve on their 3-14 finish last season.
Meanwhile, the Jets enter the season trying to recover from their own 3-14 campaign while hoping new additions and improved quarterback play can push the franchise in a different direction under head coach Aaron Glenn.
Here are six things to know before the Titans and Jets kick off Week 1.
Robert Saleh faces former team
This is easily the biggest storyline. Saleh spent nearly four seasons as the Jets’ head coach before being fired during the 2024 season. Now, less than
two years later, he will face his former team as the head coach of the Titans. Saleh has downplayed the idea of this being a revenge game, but that doesn’t mean the storyline will disappear.
With so little time passing since his firing, the Jets know Saleh and Saleh knows the Jets. That familiarity could make the chess match between the two coaching staffs particularly interesting, especially with Saleh also calling the defensive plays for Tennessee.
Cam Ward begins Year 2 with new offensive system
The most important development for Tennessee entering this season is the continued growth of quarterback Cam Ward. Ward enters his second NFL season after being selected number one overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. With a full offseason in new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s system, the Titans hope he can make a significant jump from his rookie campaign.
The Jets should provide an interesting first test. New York’s defense underwent a significant overhaul this offseason, including adding veteran safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and other secondary reinforcements who didn’t record an interception in 2025. If Ward can consistently attack that defense, it would be an encouraging first step in his development.
Geno Smith completes return to Jets
Ward isn’t the only quarterback with something to prove as Geno Smith enters his second stint with the Jets after a disappointing 2025 campaign with the Raiders. The Jets originally drafted Smith in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, with disappointing results.
Now, the veteran quarterback is returning after demonstrating that he can play at a high level in the NFL, specifically with the Seahawks. However, last season’s blunder with the Raiders isn’t what New York needs from him to turn around their losing woes.
Titans’ revamped WR gets first real test
Along with the addition of Brian Daboll, the Titans added offensive weapons for both him and Ward to have a higher chance of success at wide receiver. The Titans have a deep group featuring veterans Calvin Ridley and Wan’Dale Robinson, rookie first-round pick Carnell Tate, and second-year players Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike. That gives Ward significantly more options than he had during his rookie season.
Who will likely become Ward’s go-to target? Robinson brings reliability and versatility in the slot while Ridley remains one of the team’s biggest big-play threats. Tate brings enormous potential and expectations as the number four overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Jets’ revamped secondary will have an immediate opportunity to test whether Tennessee’s talented receiver group can live up to the hype.
Former Jets and Titans players face former teams
The Titans and Jets' first big move of the offseason included a trade between the two teams just before free agency began. The Week 1 opponents exchanged edge rusher Jermaine Johnson and nose tackleT’Vondree Sweat in a trade on March 12. The move was made to add players who better fit the teams’ differing defensive schemes.
Sweat spent two seasons in Nashville after being drafted in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He displayed promise during his rookie season before an early-season injury lessened his impact during his sophomore season. Alternatively, Johnson displayed early impact for the Jets after being selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. However, after a Pro Bowl appearance in 2023, a torn Achilles slowed his impact over the next two seasons.
Both players begin their redemption arc against the franchise that drafted and traded them right away.
The new season provides renewed hope to end playoff droughts
The New York Jets hold theNFL’ss current longest playoff drought, spanning over 15 seasons. Since making back-to-back conference championship game appearances in 2009 and 2010, the Jets have had only one winning season (2015). Four seasons have passed since the Titans last made the playoffs. Both teams begin the 2026 season at 0-0, hoping to snap their respective streaks.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans vs. New York Jets: 6 things to know about Week 1
