NY Jets Head Coach Profile: San Francisco 49ers DC Robert Saleh

The NY Jets are targeting San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

Since Robert Saleh, 41, was named the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, he has led the overall unit to a top-10 spot amongst NFL rankings over the previous three seasons.

When diagnosing Saleh as a play-caller, he continues to stay aggressive regardless of the score. Saleh is well-known for his energetic personality and contagious leadership quality that should be able to land him an NFL gig sooner, rather than later.

Saleh is considered a finalist for the NY Jets‘ head coach opening as the team is set to fly Saleh out to Florham Park on Tuesday afternoon. The Jets would be wise to not let him leave the building without offering him a crack at the position.

The fiery coach would bring a certain energy to the Jets that the team hasn’t had in quite a while. The 49ers’ defense has developed a consistency since Saleh has been at the helm, and they’ve worshipped his tenacious leadership that brought them to the Super Bowl back in 2019.

Saleh has been around the NFL long enough to understand that being a head coach means more than just calling the defensive shots. That’s why many coordinators don’t adjust well to the position.

The NY Jets would be getting a very different coach in Robert Saleh

When the Jets hired Adam Gase back in 2019, the team wasn’t aware that Gase was a simplistic play-caller who had no interest in leading an entire organziation down the right path to a championship.

Saleh is the anti-Gase — he won’t push the opportunity to talk to his team at halftime when adversity strikes. He won’t force star players out of town because they don’t adjust to him schematically.

That isn’t who Saleh is, and for those reasons, the Jets shouldn’t let him exit the building Tuesday night.

In 2019, Robert Saleh’s defense ranked second overall amongst the 32 defensive units around the NFL. Saleh completely changed the culture in the 49ers’ locker room, a culture that has continued to fight through various injuries and still come out on top.

Injuries shouldn’t be an excuse for a head coach to perform at the highest level, Saleh has proven that going back to his time as a defensive intern with the Texans back in 2005.

If the Jets hire Robert Saleh, they’ll certainly make plenty of fans very happy.