Saleh, who was fired in October as the New York Jets head coach five games into his fourth season, generated interest on the head-coaching front and was seen as one of the frontrunners for the Jacksonville Jaguars job. He also interviewed with the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

Later on Thursday, then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen had a change of heart, the Jacksonville Jaguars quickly moved to hire him as head coach and Saleh, who told Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch that he’d return to the 49ers if he didn’t get a head-coaching job, stayed true to his promise.

The San Francisco 49ers have long established their strong defensive identity, and with Robert Saleh back at the helm

The San Francisco 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Robert Saleh has been named as the team’s defensive coordinator.

The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back Robert Saleh for a second stint as defensive coordinator after a failed tenure as head coach of the New York Jets. A person familiar with the choice told The Associated Press on Friday night that Saleh will rejoin the Niners after leaving to take over the Jets following the 2020 season.

The San Francisco 49ers' prospects on defense for the 2025 season already seem a fair bit brighter following the return of Robert Saleh of coordinator, but it will take several reinforcements on the personnel side for this group to return to the ranks of the best in the NFL next season.

Robert Saleh didn’t get the job he wanted, but the job he accepted could lead to a gig he desires next year. Saleh rejoined the San Francisco 49ers as their defensive coordinator Friday and the announcement was made shortly after the last of the three head-coaching openings for which he was a candidate was filled.