Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers were lucky to get Robert Saleh in 2025 as their defensive coordinator and would be even more fortunate to retain him for another season. Saleh has worked miracles this year with the abundance of injuries the Niners’ defense has suffered. Yet, heading into Week 14, Saleh’s unit has hovered around average on a per-drive basis.
During a recent interview with Josina Anderson on her Podcast, The Exhibit, Saleh shared how he feels about becoming a head coach again:
Most of us — I don’t know if every coach does — but we all want to get to the top of our profession. But honestly, honestly, Jo, I’m just in this space right now where I’m solely focused on trying to do my best for the guys here.
It’s not a secret. We all want to be at the top of our profession and show that we can achieve greatness at the top of our profession, but—and I say this with great humility—my focus is here, and just trying our best to get to the playoffs and see if we can make some damage and host a Super Bowl here in our building
The New York Giants and Tennessee Titans will be looking for head coaches this offseason. But teams like the Raiders, Falcons, Cardinals, Browns, Bengals, among others, could also be on the hunt for a new head coach. Saleh was asked by Anderson if he’d consider returning to the Big Apple:
I’m not thinking about it, Jo. I know you probably want an answer, but we’ve got four weeks here. We’re in the middle of a playoff push. Love New York. Love the fanbase. Love all of it. Love the Chaos.
You can watch the interview in its entirety here to hear more from Saleh. If I’m a team like the Bengals, with my offense set in stone, I’m not looking to bring in an offensive mind. Saleh will likely be in high demand once again; the only question is whether it’s this offseason or the next.
