Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, long revered for his defensive prowess, won’t be out of a job for too long this offseason.
Former CBS reporter Josina Anderson indicated Saleh has already been offered the vacant San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator position, a role he previously held from 2017-2020.
Saleh used the 49ers to springboard his NFL coaching career: his 2019 outfit allowed the second-fewest yards in the NFL and launched the careers of current stars Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Dre Greenlaw.
Anderson reports Saleh will also interview for the open Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching position. The Jaguars are another franchise the 45-year-old is familiar with, having served as their linebackers coach from 2014 to 2016.
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Saleh was fired after a 2-3 start to a 2024 Jets campaign that once held great promise. He finished his tenure in New York with a 20-36 record and zero playoff appearances.
“We’ve got all this talent, and we’ve got to deploy talent properly,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said before the season. “I think they all got the message. This is it. This is the time to go. We’ve got to produce this year. We have to produce this year.”
It turns out Saleh’s defensive nouse kept the unit together: before his firing, the Jets’ defense ranked second in the NFL in opponents yards/game and fifth in points/game. After he was replaced by interim head coach (and defensive coordinator) Jeff Ulbrich, those figures sunk to 15th and 28th, respectively.
Saleh and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan worked on the same staff from 2017-2020 (
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Getty Images)
Longtime 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan named Saleh as his first defensive coordinator in 2017 and couldn’t believe his former colleague was let go in New York.
“I sent him a text, but I haven’t gotten to talk to him,” Shanahan told reporters at the time of the firing. “And yeah, I was pretty shocked.”
“That stuff throws you off, especially when they’re competing for first in the division this week and I think they’re up there on defense and have got a pretty good team and a chance to have a hell of a year. So that was pretty surprising.”
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The 49ers defensive coordinator post has turned into a revolving door in recent seasons. DeMeco Ryans held the job in 2021-2022 before earning the Houston Texans head coaching gig.
He was replaced by Steve Wilks in 2023, but he was let go despite helping lead San Francisco to the Super. Bowl. 2024 coordinator Nick Sorenson was let go after just one season and may pivot to the team’s vacant Special Teams coach position.
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