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

Saleh was fired by the Jets after a 2–3 start to the '24 season, and a 20–36 record overall that was mired by the team's failure to stabilize the quarterback position. Former

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.

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.

Coach Kyle Shanahan has cycled through DeMeco Ryans ... which isn’t unusual when it comes to defensive coordinators. Robert Saleh (left) wasn’t shy about displaying emotion during his tenure ...

Was there anything in the NFL more obvious than the 49ers wanting Robert Saleh as their defensive ... If you listen closely to what Kyle Shanahan said on the type of defensive coordinator he ...

The Jets fired Saleh in the middle of the season, naming Jeff Ulbrich as the interim head coach. While they interviewed Ulbrich for the big job, they chose to go a different route, naming former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as their new head coach.

The San Francisco 49ers might have pulled off the coup of this year’s coaching cycle, bringing back Robert Saleh to coordinate their defense.

Robert Saleh is returning to the 49ers. The ex-Jets coach will be the defensive coordinator for San Francisco again.

Robert Saleh, who coordinated the Niners' defense from 2017-20, is heading back to San Francisco for the same role following a three-plus-year stint as Jets head coach, a source told ESPN.

The 49ers already nailed the first step to bouncing back next season by hiring Robert Saleh to rebuild the defense.