Robert Saleh is headed back to the Bay Area.
According to The Athletic, Saleh is “expected” to return to the San Francisco 49ers as the defensive coordinator, a position he held prior to becoming the New York Jets head coach. Saleh was the defensive coordinator for the Niners from 2017-2020.
This comes after news broke that Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen re-emerged as the favorite to land the head coaching job of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Saleh interviewed for that position last week and was scheduled to have a second interview planned for this week, but it appears as though the Jags will be going with Coen.
JUST IN: The 49ers are expected to land Robert Saleh for a second stint as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator, according to league sources briefed on the coaching search.
Details:https://t.co/xf5PCzDxfe pic.twitter.com/tOJzv7fHVa
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 24, 2025
Saleh, 45, spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the New York Jets, going 20-36, though he was saddled with poor quarterback play in his first three seasons and was fired just five games into the 2024 season when he finally had a healthy Aaron Rodgers (the Jets went 3-9 with Jeff Ulbrich as the interim head coach).
As a defensive coordinator or head coach, his defenses have finished top-10 in yards allowed five times, top-10 in points allowed twice and top-10 in takeaways twice.
After a disappointing 6-11 season, the Niners made a number of changes to the coaching staff under Kyle Shanahan, including demoting defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen. They may keep him in San Francisco in a different role, however.
With Saleh back in the fold, the hope is the Niners defense can get back to being a dominated unit in 2025.
