It’s never too late to come home.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan certainly believes that as he is on the verge of hiring his first 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh back to the same role, per The Athletic. Saleh served as Shanahan’s original 49ers defensive coordinator for four seasons from 2017 to 2020, a span that included San Francisco reaching Super Bowl LIV in the 2019 season, prior to becoming the New York Jets head coach in 2021.
Saleh was in the mix for head coaching vacancies with the Dallas Cowboys, he was their first in-person interview, and he interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as well. However with Jacksonville zeroing in on Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen after firing general manager Trent Baalke on Wednesday, Saleh opted to return to the place where he launched his NFL head coaching career instead of waiting for the official announcement that the Jaguars would be hiring Coen.
Saleh was 20-36 in just under four seasons as the Jets head coach following his Week 5 firing in 2024. However, his defense was never really the issue in New York. After having the league’s worst defense in 2021, Saleh’s squads were top-five total defenses in each of his last three seasons.
The Jets drafted Zach Wilson second overall in the 2021 NFL Draft out of BYU, but he never panned out. That’s why the team traded for a 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers in 2023. He tore his Achilles in Week 1 that season, and then the team floundered offensively in Rodgers’ first full season playing with the Jets in 2024.
New York actually had a top-five defense in nearly every key metric in 2024 prior to Saleh’s firing, but then the unit collapsed following his exit.
| Jets defense this season | With Saleh (Weeks 1-5) | Without Saleh (Weeks 6-18) |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game allowed | 17.0 (5th) | 26.6 (28th) |
| Total yards per game allowed | 255.8 (2nd) | 337.9 (18th) |
| Sacks | 18 (4th) | 25 (T-25th) |
| QB pressure percentage | 39.8% (5th) | 36.6% (8th) |
| Completion percentage allowed | 59% (3rd) | 64.6% (13th) |
| Passer rating allowed | 73.1 (4th) | 94.8 (20th) |
After an injury-plagued 2024 season in which the 49ers were the NFL’s No. 29 scoring defense (25.6 points per game allowed), they have Saleh back to right the ship in 2025.
