Robert Saleh is heading back to San Francisco. Saleh and the San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a contract for him to return as the team's

Could the San Francisco 49ers bolster their defense around new coordinator Robert Saleh thanks to his New York Jets ties?

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Robert Saleh is reprising his role as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, the team announced Friday night. Saleh returns to a vastly different unit than he left behind four years ago.

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.

Robert Saleh, who ran 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 coach.

Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has a contract offer from the San Francisco 49ers to become the NFL's highest-paid defensive coordinator, per

The San Francisco 49ers' prospects on defense for the 2025 season already seem a fair bit brighter following the return of Robert Saleh of coordinator, but it will take several reinforcements on the personnel side for this group to return to the ranks of the best in the NFL next season.

Following his dismissal as head coach of the New York Jets, Robert Saleh has wasted no time finding his next opportunity in the NFL. The former Jets leader has returned to the San Francisco 49ers, where he previously thrived as defensive coordinator.