The 49ers have their sights set on a reunion with Robert Saleh.
San Francisco expects Saleh to return as defensive coordinator if he does not accept an NFL head coaching job, a source told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco on Thursday.
Saleh has told the 49ers that if he ends up as a defensive coordinator this season, it will be with them.
Robert Saleh is in line to be 49ers defensive coordinator, source says, unless he ends up with head-coaching position. If he is a defensive coordinator this season, it’ll be with the 49ers, he told the team.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) January 24, 2025
Saleh previously served as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017 through the 2020 season before taking the head coaching job with the New York Jets.
But Saleh went 20-36 in three-plus seasons with the Jets and was fired after Week 5 this season.
Saleh interviewed for head-coaching jobs with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys this offseason, but it appears those teams will go in other directions to fill their vacancies.
The 49ers officially interviewed Saleh on Jan. 9, shortly after their 6-11 season concluded.
The 49ers are searching for a new defensive coordinator because coach Kyle Shanahan removed Nick Sorensen from the role after just one season.
Shanahan had hoped to keep Sorensen on the 49ers’ coaching staff, but the 46-year-old won’t return, a source told Maiocco on Thursday.
Shanahan and the 49ers believed Sorensen staying on in a different capacity would have created too awkward of a situation.
In search of a new special teams coordinator after Brian Schneider was fired, the 49ers interviewed Brant Boyer for the job on Thursday, a source told Maiocco.
The 49ers interviewed Brant Boyer for special-teams coordinator opening, source said. He has served as NY Jets ST coordinator since 2016. The 49ers expect to have position filled next week. It will not be Nick Sorensen, source said. He is not expected to remain with the team.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) January 24, 2025
Boyer has been the Jets’ special teams coordinator since 2016, working with Saleh during the entirety of his tenure.
The 49ers hope to fill the special teams coordinator vacancy early next week.
San Francisco could cross off two big items on its to-do list fairly soon.
