After a four-year sentence in New York as head coach of the Jets, Robert Saleh returns to San Francisco as the defensive coordinator of the 49ers.
After a four-year sentence in New York as head coach of the Jets, Robert Saleh returns to San Francisco as the defensive coordinator of the 49ers.
Saleh had moderate success from 2017-2018 as the defensive coordinator before 2019 brought defensive dominance to San Francisco and helped the team to a Super Bowl LIV appearance.
He appears to be at home again, as he told reporters on Thursday that he has no interest in being the defensive coordinator anywhere else.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for this organization,” Saleh said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “They gave me so much and during the first two years, if you think about those first two years as the coordinator in ’17 and ’18, it wasn’t easy, and it could have been very easy for them to move on for me.
“I’m indebted to this organization, to those men for the rest of my life. They stuck with me and we made it happen. We did what we needed to do and the rest is history and I’m excited about the opportunity to get a chance to do it again with them.”
In Saleh's last season in the City by the Bay, his defense ranked No. 2 in yards allowed and No. 8 in points allowed, and the unit took a hit when he left. The 49ers were No. 8 in yards allowed and ranked No. 27 in the league in points allowed.
Saleh hopes to help the 49ers recover from a disappointing 6-11 campaign last season that saw the team watch the postseason at home.
