Dec. 27, 2025, 11:45 a.m. PT
The San Francisco 49ers have taken some big hits on the defensive side of the ball this year, as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams have suffered season-ending injuries while others have missed significant time.
Throughout those struggles, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who returned to San Francisco this year after four seasons as the head coach of the New York Jets, has done his best to keep his unit competitive.
His efforts have landed him in the conversation for head-coaching opportunities again for the upcoming hiring cycle, and while 49ers general manager John Lynch knows Saleh will get there again at some point, San Francisco won’t make the decision easy.
“Robert has big aspirations. He always has,” Lynch said on KNBR this week. “I think he will be more choosy in terms of not wanting to coach anywhere. He probably wants a really good situation because he has one here, and we’re blessed to have Robert, but at some point, you have to allow people to go chase their dreams. However, we can make it very attractive for him to stay, and we plan on doing that.”
Two jobs (New York Giants and Tennessee Titans) are currently open, with more sure to follow, but if the 49ers throw more money at Saleh, he may be willing to wait for the perfect opportunity to open up.
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