Current Green Bay Packers Coach Interviews for Defensive Coordinator Job with the San Francisco 49ers

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has seen several of his former assistant coaches depart for more high-profile jobs with other franchises. Examples include his former quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy, who spent a year as the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears and part of this season in the same role with the Las Vegas Raiders. He is currently a defensive analyst for the Packers after being fired by Las Vegas earlier this year.

Getsy is not the only coach fired this year that LaFleur has brought onto his staff midseason. Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was fired after a 2-3 start to the season. It was not long until the Packers head coach, who was the best man at his wedding, called and offered him a job for the remainder of the season.

Since arriving in Green Bay, Saleh, who is a defensive-minded coach, has been working with the offense to help them prepare for different strategies opponents may use against them, similar to what Getsy is doing with the defense.

Green Bay Packers Coach Robert Saleh Interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers’ Defensive Coordinator Job

Earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers fired their defensive coordinator, Nick Sorensen. To the surprise of absolutely no one, it has been reported that Saleh has been interviewed for the job:

When Saleh was fired by the Jets earlier this season, it was widely accepted that he was going to be the top name on potential defensive coordinator lists for teams that were going to be in the market for one.

The 49ers make sense for Saleh as he was their defensive coordinator from 2017-2020 before leaving to take the Jets head coaching job.

As many fans know, Saleh, LaFleur, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan go way back. All three were on the same coaching staff with the Houston Texans in the late 2000’s.

Saleh was with the Texans organization for six seasons. He started as a defensive intern in 2005, and served as a defensive quality control coach from 2006-2008. From 2009-2010, he was the Texans assistant linebackers coach.

LaFleur was with the Texans from 2008-2009 as an offensive assistant in what his first coaching job in the NFL.

Shanahan was Houston’s quarterbacks coach in 2007 and their offensive coordinator from 2008-2009. When he left to take the same position with Washington, he brought LaFleur with him as his quarterbacks coach.

In 2017, when Shanahan was hired as the head coach in San Francisco, he contacted his old friend from Houston, Saleh, to be his defensive coordinator.

Now that the former Jets coach is on the market again, it makes sense that he would be open to a reunion with his old friend.