Robert Saleh is back as defensive coordinator of the 49ers, and all is right with the world. For now, anyway. Coach Kyle Shanahan has cycled through DeMeco Ryans, Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen after Saleh’s departure following the 2020 season to become head coach of the New York Jets.

Saleh was fired as the Jets’ coach five games into this season and is now back with the 49ers, where he made his name in the NFL.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is welcoming 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh back to the same role, per NFL Media. Saleh served as Shanahan's original 49ers defensive coordinator for four seasons from 2017 to 2020,

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.

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 and head coach Kyle Shanahan today announced that Robert Saleh has been named as the team’s defensive coordinator.

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

Robert Saleh, who coordinated the Niners' defense from 2017 to 2020, is heading back to San Francisco for the same role after a three-plus-year stint as Jets head coach, the team announced Friday.

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, who led Kyle Shanahan's defense from 2017 to '20 before becoming head coach of the New York Jets, will return to the Bay Area in an effort to help the 49ers get back on track, The Athletic reports. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer confirmed San Francisco is hiring Saleh as its new defensive coordinator on Friday night.

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.

The San Francisco 49ers have hired Brant Boyer as their new special teams coordinator. Boyer served as the Jets’ special teams coordinator from 2016 to 2024 and spent the last three years working under former head coach Robert Saleh, who joined the 49ers as their defensive coordinator this winter.