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Robert Saleh might be returning to the San Francisco 49ers as their defensive coordinator, a position he absolutely nailed from 2017 to 2020. Last season didn’t go well for the team, as they gave up 25.6 points per game, ranking 29th in the league, and ended with a 6-11 record under first-year coordinator Nick Sorensen. If Saleh returns, it could be the reset their defense needs.
Michael Silver from The Athletic is pretty confident this will indeed happen. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “I expect the 49ers to rehire Robert Saleh as their defensive coordinator soon.”
This comes after Saleh bailed on his second interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars, probably because Liam Coen, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, jumped back in the running for the job. Coen was almost the head coach before, but everything changed when the Jaguars fired GM Trent Baalke. Baalke’s firing made Coen reconsider and restart talks with the Jaguars, even though he was considering staying with the Bucs with a lucrative contract offer.
Saleh’s been known as a defensive genius for a while, and there’s a reason for that. During his time with the 49ers, his 2019 defense ranked first in passing yards allowed (169.2 per game), second in total defense (281.8 yards per game), fourth in sacks (48), and sixth in forced turnovers (27). These achievements helped the team reach Super Bowl LIV, even though they lost against the Kansas City Chiefs in the final 20-31.
Saleh was the head coach of the New York Jets from 2021 to 2024, with a 20-36 record and no playoff appearances. Despite the team’s offensive struggles, his defense ranked in the top five for yards allowed in his last three seasons. His time with the Jets ended in 2024 after a 2-3 start, even with Aaron Rodgers healthy.
The Jaguars’ decision to fire GM Trent Baalke threw off their coaching search, which seemed to impact Saleh’s choice to look at other options, even though Jacksonville offered him a lot of control over personnel. The 49ers, on the other hand, could offer him a record-breaking contract for a coordinator. If he returns, it could bring back the discipline and solid defense needed to help the 49ers compete for a playoff spot in 2025.
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