San Francisco 49ers
Report: Robert Saleh headed back to San Francisco as defensive coordinator
Robert Saleh will likely be on the San Francisco 49ers’ sideline this upcoming season. It never really seemed likely when he departed Northern California to become the New York Jets’ head coach back in 2021. It seemed even less likely with Saleh being seen as the front runner for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach job this winter. Alas, that’s where we are at.
Mike Silver of The Athletic was the first to report Thursday evening that he expects San Francisco to make the announcement “soon.” Others followed up with similar reports.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area later reported that Saleh has informed he’ll be the 49ers’ defensive coordinator next season if he doesn’t land a head coach job. That doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
Saleh was seen as the top candidate to land in Jacksonville as the team’s next head coach. That’s until owner Shahid Khan surprisingly opted to fire general manager Trent Baalke. Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen is now seen as the front runner for the Jaguars’ opening. He had previously agreed to return to Tampa Bay on an historic contract. But the deal has not been signed on a dotted line.
As for the 45-year-old Saleh, he was also a top candidate for openings with the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys. Both jobs remain vacant, meaning something could happen on those fronts here soon. That is to say, the writing could have been on the wall for Saleh.
What Robert Saleh Heading Back To The San Francisco 49ers Would Mean
Robert Saleh will be the perfect fit for the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty …
Saleh was hired by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan when the latter was named head coach back in 2017. He served as defensive coordinator from 2017-2020. In those four years, Saleh led two top-five defenses. He’s seen as one of the best defensive minds in football.
This led to Saleh being hired by New York following the 2020 season. He struggled to a tune of a 20-36 record before being fired five games into the 2024 campaign. Even then, New York’s defense finished in the top five each of his final three seasons.
For the 49ers, bringing back Saleh would create some short-term continuity. They were facing having to go with their fourth different defensive coordinator in as many seasons. San Francisco fired Steve Wilks after just one season in 2023. It did the same with Nick Sorensen after a dreadful 7-10 performance in 2024.
Despite last season’s performance, the 49ers’ Super Bowl window remains open. Ading Someone of Saleh’s ilk to the mix in a reunion just made too much sense. It will lead to Shanahan focusing solely on the offensive side of the ball as he gives the keys to the kingdom to his former coordinator on defense.
San Francsico had reportedly been willing to make Saleh the highest-paid coordinator in NFL history. The question here is whether said deal will enable the 49ers to retain Saleh for more than one season. He’ll be a top head coach candidate during next year’s cycle. That could lead to the 49ers being back in his same situation next January.
As for this dynamic situation, Saleh was expected to fly to Jacksonville for a second interview on Friday. Silver reports that he never made the trip.
One could argue that the San Francisco 49ers job is more attractive than working in a floundering Jaguars organization. It would give Robert Saleh an opportunity to prove himself once again leading one of the best defenses in the NFL with players he knows very well. This always made sense in the end.
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