NY Jets reportedly trying to hire Robert Saleh by the end of today

The NY Jets are reportedly trying to hire Robert Saleh by the end of today.

The NY Jets brought in San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on Tuesday for his second interview with the organization. One day later, it appears as though they want to get a deal done as soon as possible.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday morning that the Jets were planning to fly Saleh to the team’s facilities in Florham Park, New Jersey later in the day for his second interview with them — his first in person.

That meeting didn’t start until late at night and it concluded without an official job offer. However, Rapoport reported Wednesday morning that the Jets plan to meet with Saleh again today, this time with team owner Christopher Johnson present.

Rapoport did say that the Jets still plan to interview other candidates, but that if Saleh is their guy, things could get wrapped up sooner rather than later.

Bleacher Report’s Connor Rogers also reported that his “understanding is that the Jets want to get this done with Saleh today” which would seem to indicate that they don’t plan on letting him leave the building.

The NY Jets aren’t the only team interested in Robert Saleh

Saleh is one of the most highly-sought-after candidates in this year’s coaching cycle with the widespread belief that he will get a job somewhere this offseason.

Six of the seven teams looking for a head coach, with the exception of the Houston Texans, have put in requests to interview the near-universally-praised defensive coordinator.

The Detroit Lions have shown a ton of interest and he was once believed to be a favorite for the job. The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly plan to interview Saleh next if he leaves Florham Park. And the Jacksonville Jaguars see him as a backup plan if they can’t land Urban Meyer.

Simply put, if the Jets want to land Saleh, they’re probably going to have to do it today.

By all accounts, the 41-year-old appears to be close to the top of their head-coach wishlist, if not at the very top. Rapoport echoed that sentiment and others such as ESPN’s Rich Cimini have said the same.

Saleh has piloted one of the league’s best defenses in San Francisco over the last two years and the work he did, particularly in 2020, has not gone unnoticed.

Despite only getting a combined 10 games from the likes of Richard Sherman, Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, and Dee Ford, Saleh’s 49ers finished with the NFL’s fifth-best defense in terms of yards allowed.

He was coaching backups, but the production remained the same.

We should know more by the end of today, but it seems as though the Jets are going to make a pretty hard push for the individual considered one of the best defensive assistants in the entire NFL.

Robert Saleh very well might be the Jets’ next head coach by the end of the day.