Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is still waiting for his next opportunity after being fired last week amid a 2-3 start to the regular season.
Could his next destination be on the sidelines at NRG Stadium while working underneath former colleague and current Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans? Right now, that doesn’t seem likely.
That doesn’t mean that Texans general manager Nick Caserio isn’t a fan of Saleh and what he brings to any organization defensively.
I love the idea of the Texans bringing Robert Saleh in as a senior defensive advisor. He’s a great culture fit and could make an impact in that role, but after this season he’ll get his pick at whatever DC positions are open around the league.
— James Roy (@JamesRoyNFL) October 8, 2024
“Robert’s a really good coach,” Caserio said during his appearance on “Payne & Pendergast” Wednesday morning on SportsRadio610. “Robert did a really good job with their program. He’s very well thought of in the league. So, a lot of respect for him and what he did for the Jets and what he did here for the Texans organization as well. What conversations take place, those are up to the people involved. I’m not going to get fined for saying anything that I shouldn’t say.”
The connection between Saleh and the Texans is far. Prior to becoming one of the top defensive minds in the industry, he spent eight seasons in Houston working as an assistant.
Ryans’ impact also carries a little weight. When hired by New York in 2021, Ryans served as Saleh’s linebackers coach and eventually took over as the San Francisco 49ers’ new defensive coordinator.
Five of the seven head coaches hired in 2021 have been fired.
– Jets: Robert Saleh
– Jaguars: Urban Meyer
– Texans: David Culley
– Falcons: Arthur Smith
– Chargers: Brandon StaleyThe two still with jobs were probably the two made fun of most:
1) Lions: Dan Campbell
2)…— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 8, 2024
Two years after carrying on the tradition that Saleh started, Ryans returned to the place that drafted him out of the University of Alabama in 2006.
The Texans face off against Saleh’s former team on Halloween, so the best revenge for the former coach would be to give away inside information on the opposing sidelines. It’s happened before. After Hue Jackson was fired by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, he joined the Cincinnati Bengals staff just in time to face off against those who sent him packing.
Cleveland got the last laugh since it defeated the Bengals. Caserio referred to the notion of what occurred back then, too.
“I don’t think we’re going to see anything like that, you don’t have to worry about that,” Caserio said.
Saleh’s tenure in New York wasn’t great. He finished 20-36 and never posted a winning season, but not all was based on his coaching. New York never had stability at the quarterback position and struggled to find life behind underwhelming offensive line play.
Saleh likely won’t return to Houston before Week 9’s matchup, but depending on how things go entering the offseason, he could be a prime candidate to join the staff for 2025.