49ers Stockpile Defensive Coaches: Gus Bradley’s Key Role!

The San Francisco 49ers hired former Jaguars head coach and longtime NFL defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to their coaching staff on Friday.

At the moment, according to a league source, Bradley doesn’t have an official title. But the move sets up a logical scenario in which Bradley could have this role in 2026: 49ers defensive coordinator.

The 49ers added Bradley two weeks after they hired Robert Saleh as their coordinator amid speculation the former Jets head coach could exit after one season. Saleh didn’t accept the 49ers job until three head-coaching openings for which he interviewed, with the Cowboys, Jaguars and Raiders, were filled. The stage is set for Saleh to become a head coach again after next season if he resurrects a 49ers’ defense that allowed the fourth most points in the NFL this past season.

If so, the 49ers would have an obvious successor waiting in the wings. Bradley, 58, was a mentor to Saleh who spent four seasons as the Jaguars’ head coach (2013-2016) and has 12 seasons of experience as an NFL coordinator. Head coach Kyle Shanahan tried to hire Bradley as his defensive coordinator in 2017, but Bradley chose the Chargers and the 49ers ultimately hired Saleh.

Bradley, who was fired last month after his third season as the Colts’ coordinator, has extensive experience in the 49ers’ 4-3 defense, which is based on the system that new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll ran for 14 seasons with the Seahawks. Bradley was the defensive coordinator for Carroll’s first three seasons in Seattle (2010-2012).

Saleh worked under Bradley for two seasons with the Seahawks before Bradley hired Saleh as his linebackers coach in Jacksonville, where Saleh worked from 2014-2016.

Saleh spent the next four seasons with the 49ers, and he credited Bradley and Carroll for his readiness when he joined the 49ers in 2017. Shortly after he was hired, Saleh explained why he wasn’t concerned about his ability to call plays for the first time as a rookie coordinator.

“From a growth standpoint, to be able to be in all those meetings when they were talking game plan and talking play-calling and the way Pete approached things along with Gus,” Saleh said. “Just through my experience, play-calling is the least of my worries.”