Saleh, who was fired as head coach of the New York Jets in October after just five games into his fourth season, attracted attention from head coaches and was considered a strong candidate for the Jacksonville Jaguars position. He also had interviews with the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders.

His circumstances drastically changed on Thursday when Liam Coen, the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had withdrawn from consideration for the Jaguars head coaching position the day before, re-entered the race and emerged as the front-runner. Between Wednesday and Thursday, what happened? Coen found the position more appealing after the Jaguars fired general manager Trent Baalke.

Saleh, meantime, was scheduled to take a plane to Jacksonville late Thursday in order to attend his second interview with the city on Friday. But he canceled that flight as soon as the Coen news leaked. The scenario was set for Saleh to return to Santa Clara after the Raiders signed Pete Carroll on Friday morning and the Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer on Friday night.

Saleh played for the Jets for more than three seasons, going 20-36 and missing every postseason game. Even though his teams were often very good defensively, the inability to find the right quarterback—among them, Zach Wilson, the second pick of the 2021 draft, struggled, and Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles in his Jets debut in 2023—was too much to overcome. Many were hesitant to give Saleh credit for the team’s exceptional defensive performances in 2022 and 2023, despite the fact that he oversaw the defensive unit alongside defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. That story was changed following the team’s collapse in the final three months of the 2024 season.

Remember that the Jets finished third in defensive EPA in the five games played this season before Saleh was fired, in addition to being 3-9 (they were 2-3 when he was fired). They finished in 31st place after Ulbrich was named interim head coach and Saleh was fired, and their performances were often tainted by disciplinary issues (the Jets led the NFL in defensive penalties).

Having adopted the combative mantra “all gas, no brake,” Saleh joined the 49ers roster in 2017. Using four talented defensive linemen to stop tailbacks and put pressure on the quarterback, he turned the squad into one of the league’s top defenses by 2019. They finished with 48 sacks, held opponents to less than 20 points per game, and topped the league in allowing 169.2 passing yards per game.

The 49ers were rebuilding when the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch administration took over in 2017. Initially, the team and Saleh’s defense, which in 2018 was criticized for being too boring and often too disjointed, had trouble. Shanahan, however, stuck with the defensive coordinator because he believed Saleh and his plan.

According to Shanahan at the time, “I think it’s a much harder one to go against.” “I think he’s expanded on other things, and if our fans give him the time, which I know I will, our players will put in a lot of effort for him. Saleh is a guy we should feel fortunate to have.”

After the 2018 season, the following three significant acquisitions were made: 1) The 49ers selected defensive end Nick Bosa, who later won the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award, with the No. 2 choice; 2) they acquired quick pass rusher Dee Ford; and 3) they hired Kris Kocurek, a follower of the offensive Wide 9 formation, to run the defensive line.

The team will probably spend a significant portion of its summer funds to strengthen the defensive line, which hasn’t been as strong since 2019. By the end of 2024, the 49ers had gone four of their previous six games without a sack and had given up a 100-yard rusher almost every week.

Saleh is more of the same, according to critics hoping for a defensive shakeup. Shanahan stated at his end-of-season press conference earlier this month that if he doesn’t qualify for the playoffs, at least he will have more time to hunt for a coordinator from a wider pool of applicants than he has in previous offseasons.

“There are additional opportunities available, and I intend to investigate them all,” he stated.

Only three official interviews for defensive coordinator were revealed by the team, though: Saleh, Detroit Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend, and internal candidate Brandon Staley. The NFL’s Rooney Rule, which mandates that teams examine at least two minority applicants, was met by Saleh and Townsend’s virtual interviews.

Saleh might also be reluctant to hire a lot of fresh helpers. Kocurek, defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks, and linebackers coach Johnny Holland were all under Saleh’s tutelage in San Francisco.

Shanahan stated earlier this month that he was seeking an experienced coordinator, which Saleh will provide. Additionally, he stated that he was searching for a player who could change course in the event that the defense suffered injuries similar to those that befell Saleh’s predecessor, first-year coordinator Nick Sorensen, in 2024.

Shanahan’s primary criticism of Sorensen is that he failed to adapt when defensive linemen Bosa, Yetur Gross-Matos, and Javon Hargrave suffered injuries. The 49ers rarely used blitzing to create a superior pass rush; therefore, most people took that as a failure.

In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, the squad finished 31st in terms of blitz rate the previous season. Although the Jets outperformed the 49ers in blitz percentage last season, Saleh wasn’t well-known for it while he was in San Francisco.