By nature of the NFL's coaching cycle, many of the head coach openings that new hires take over exist with very flawed rosters and franchises. Former New York Jets head coach and returning San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh experienced that first hand with his last job.
The Jets hired Saleh back in 2021, taking a chance on the first-time head coach. Unfortunately, that tenure soured to a 19-34 mark that saw the franchise move on from him just a few games into the 2024 campaign.
But the situation was not exactly set up for him to thrive. Saleh took over after a 2-14 season and the team completely whiffed on the selection of quarterback Zach Wilson that was supposed to get their rebuild moving.
Fast forward a few years later and the team traded for Aaron Rodgers, a more talented quarterback but carrying more baggage. His injury at the start of 2023 completely ruined New York's best chances of turning things around.
Things only devolved from there and his eventual firing may have come more as a blessing.
“Yeah, you know I joke with Matt [LaFleur], I think it was more therapy for me than I was a help for him. But it was just trying to give him a defensive perspective regarding, looking at the, from an offensive standpoint, watching the defense."
Saleh took some time working with LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers in an advisory role. While the circumstances in New York unraveled on him, he came away accepting of his own mistakes and ready to grow.
"There is no handbook for a first-time head coach. There’s no handbook for your first time going through life, right? You learn a lot through the process. You figure out a lot about yourself."
The failures with the Jets mattered little around the league as Saleh was still a widely popular candidate for another head coaching vacancy this time around. However, he has chosen to return to the place that made him into a coaching star.
Saleh built some formidable defenses with San Francisco and they are hoping he can do that again. The Niners banked everything in their defensive coordinator search on bringing him back and the gamble paid off.
The team and the fans are hoping he can already apply some of those lessons he has learned from his mistakes and the "therapy" afterward to reignite this once dominant unit.
