NFL News: Robert Saleh, 49ers Reportedly Agree to DC Contract After Jets HC Stint

Robert Saleh is heading back to San Francisco.

Saleh and the San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a contract for him to return as the team's defensive coordinator, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The news comes after Matt Barrows, Michael Silver and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported Thursday that Saleh is "expected" to return to the Niners as the defensive coordinator, a position he held between the 2017-20 seasons.

That came in the wake of Liam Coen emerging as the favorite to land the head-coaching gig in Jacksonville. Saleh interviewed for that position last week and was scheduled to have a second interview planned for this week, but it appears as though the Jags will be going with Coen.

Coen has since been hired as the Jags head coach.

Saleh, 45, spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the New York Jets, going 20-36, though he was saddled with poor quarterback play in his first three seasons and was fired just five games into the 2024 season when he finally had a healthy Aaron Rodgers (the Jets went 3-9 with Jeff Ulbrich as the interim head coach).

As a defensive coordinator or head coach, his defenses have finished top-10 in yards allowed five times, top-10 in points allowed twice and top-10 in takeaways twice.

The Niners, meanwhile, were saddled with injuries on both sides of the ball in 2024 but finished 29th in points allowed (25.6 PPG) and eighth in yards allowed (317.4 YPG).

After a disappointing 6-11 season, the Niners made a number of changes to the coaching staff under Kyle Shanahan, including demoting defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen. They may keep him in San Francisco in a different role, however.

"Still trying to hope to keep him on board in another capacity because he's a guy I don't want to lose," Shanahan told reporters after the demotion was announced. "But just where we're at, really, as a team, where I think we need to go, there's a lot of big decisions ahead for us."

The Niners have not been nearly as formidable defensively in recent seasons as they were under Saleh and his replacement, DeMeco Ryans, who spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator (2021-22) before becoming the head coach of the Houston Texans.

Veteran linebacker Fred Warner told reporters after the season that some of that responsibility falls on the players.

"The easy thing right now is everybody is going to put the blame on [Sorensen] for how the defense has played and when you're the guy at the helm, that's what happens," he said. "You're going to take the brunt of that but it's everybody. Everybody has got to take a look in the mirror. I've got to take a look in the mirror. ... I think Nick has done a great job all season. As players when we have to execute and play the game; we didn't him any favors."

Saleh will be hoping they do him a few favors next season in his return to the team.