Robert Saleh’s firing from the New York Jets has already led to San Francisco 49ers fans asking the team to bring him back as their defensive coordinator off the back of Nick Bosa’s intriguing comments on Sunday.
Saleh had first landed the Jets head coaching after impressing as the Niners defensive coordinator, a role he had been in for four years working under Kyle Shanahan. His 2019 season, in particular, made him a hot candidate before eventually landing in New York.
But after a rough three-year stint as Jets head coach, Saleh was fired on Tuesday after just five games of the 2024 season. The Jets lost to the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday, with owner Woody Johnson deciding to move on and appointing his defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbruch, as interim head coach.
The firing comes just two days after Bosa indirectly criticized the Niners current defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen after another poor performance.
San Francisco lost to division rivals Arizona Cardinals at home, with Bosa being asked about why he felt the defense struggled to stop Kyler Murray and their running games. In a telling statement, Bosa responded by stating “we need to adjust a little better”, with Sorensen the only one that amends game plans as the coordinator.
Bosa said: “They were giving us a different look on the zone read. In all of our losses, the preparation we’ve had has been great, but teams are playing us different and doing things differently and we need to adjust a little better. They’re just showing different looks than what we were looking at on tape. We’ve got to adjust.”
Robert Saleh worked with Nick Bosa during their incredible 2019 season
The 49ers defense has not been the dominant unit that it had been since Saleh departed, having notably lost a number of key players over the last few years including both Pro-Bowl interior pass-rushers in DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead.
Saleh is highly unlikely to land another head coaching role any time soon, going 20-36 with the Jets over the last few years, and could land on his feet should the 49ers declare its interest.
However, it remains unlikely that the team will part ways with Sorensen after just five games in charge, with the team also hiring former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as a defensive assistant.
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