The San Francisco 49ers lost part of their identity last season as they went from Super Bowl runner up to a 6-11 record. The 49ers defense was a large part of what was missing as the unit went from third in scoring defense in 2023 to 29th last season. Nick Sorensen took the fall and while San Francisco is on its third defensive coordinator in the past three seasons, it turned to a familiar face.
Robert Saleh was the architect of the 49ers defense from 2017 to 2020, Saleh’s defenses coincided with San Francisco’s Super Bowl run in 2019. But while he’s back to help old friend Kyle Shanahan, he made his future intentions clear on Thursday.
Robert Saleh Reveals Reason for Returning to 49ers
Saleh spoke with reporters at the beginning of the 49ers’ rookie minicamp this weekend and expressed admiration for the opportunity to return as the team’s defensive coordinator. But while he is returning to the role, ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reports that Saleh had no interest in being a defensive coordinator for any other team.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for this organization,” Saleh said. “...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 from 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.”
The 49ers’ loyalty to Saleh stood out when the team ranked 25th in scoring defense and 24th in total defense in his first season in 2017. While San Francisco fell to 28th in scoring the following year, the 49ers improved to 13th in total defense before jumping to eighth and second respectively on their way to the Super Bowl.
The revival helped Saleh land his first head coaching job with the New York Jets and things started well when he took a unit that ranked dead last in both categories in 2021 and had it ranking fourth in 2022. Then Aaron Rodgers showed up, there was something about Madden ratings and Saleh limped to a slow start in 2024 before being fired last October.
Saleh spent time as a consultant for the Green Bay Packers after his firing, but going back to San Francisco is a wise move even if they’re in the middle of a rebuild. Saleh knows that he’ll have the time to implement his system under Kyle Shanahan and that could help him rehab his image and give him the power to choose his next head coaching destination when it becomes available.
For now, Saleh is entrenched in San Francisco and the 49ers hope he can re-establish some of the identity that helped create their winning ways.