Tag: 49ers coaches

49ers add another long-time defensive coordinator to coaching staff

The San Francisco 49ers are making some big changes to their defensive coaching staff.

The San Francisco 49ers are bolstering their coaching staff with another former head coach and defensive coordinator.

NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on Friday reported long-time defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is joining defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on the 49ers defensive coaching staff.

It’s unclear exactly what Bradley’s role will be, but he has deep ties to the Pete Carroll defense the 49ers want to run. He was also the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars while Robert Saleh was there as a linebackers coach.

Bradley got his first DC job in the NFL in 2009 on Jim Mora’s staff with the Seattle Seahawks. He stayed on in 2010 when Carroll took over as the head coach, and since then he’s been a DC with Seattle, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts. He helped oversee the great Legion of Boom defenses in Seattle, and also helped transform the Chargers defense into a top-10 unit in points allowed in 2017 and 2018.

Adding another experienced voice to the room should pay dividends as San Francisco looks for ways to adapt and change things defensively. Assistant head coach Brandon Staley has a similar role, but his background is not in the scheme Bradley runs.

Last season with the Colts, Bradley’s defense finished 29th in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed. They were seventh in total takeaways — an area the 49ers struggled with in 2024.

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Another fired 49ers coordinator lands new job

Brian Schneider joined Nick Sorensen among the ranks of fired 49ers coaches who quickly found new jobs.

The San Francisco 49ers fired two coordinators after the 2024 season, and both quickly picked up new jobs.

Former 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, who spent one year in that position, wound up snagging a special teams coordinator job in Dallas. He cut his teeth in the coaching ranks as a special teams assistant, and spent one year as the special teams coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars before joining the 49ers staff as a defensive assistant.

There was some hope from head coach Kyle Shanahan that he’d be able to retain Sorensen to replace fired special teams coordinator Brian Schneider.

It took Schneider a little longer to find a new gig, but he landed with the Washington Commanders according to a report from CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Schneider will take on an assistant special teams coordinator role for Washington, where he’ll reunite with head coach Dan Quinn who was on Pete Carroll’s staff with Schneider in Seattle.

Schneider has been a successful special teams coach in his career, but he struggled to help right a 49ers special teams group that hasn’t had a ton of success during Shanahan’s tenure.

The 49ers replaced Schneider with former New York Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer after they were unable to hold on to Sorensen.

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49ers superstar reveals why he’s excited for Robert Saleh’s return

It’s what Fred Warner didn’t say that jumps out.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner didn’t hide his excitement for the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, but there were things he didn’t say that illustrate what Saleh’s return means for the 49ers’ defense.

That’s not a huge surprise given the tumult San Francisco has dealt with the last couple of years while cycling through defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen.

Saleh has a proven track record with Warner and the 49ers, and his addition to their coaching staff looks like an early offseason victory for San Francisco. Warner expressed his excitement in an interview with NBC Sports’ Jennifer Lee Chan at the Pro Bowl Games.

“It means a lot,” Warner said. “Obviously Coach Saleh has been amazing for us and for myself as a young player, so it’s gonna be interesting being the old guy now, myself, being with him again. It’s gonna be fun though.”

A clearer indication of what Saleh brings to the 49ers defense came from something Warner did not say.

Chan asked the All-Pro LB about Saleh’s energy and how it lifts up the 49ers defense. His response was telling:

“I mean, it’s contagious,” Warner said. “You see it. Him, DeMeco (Ryans), that was a big part of why we were so successful. And obviously the teaching portion of it all and making sure we’re all on the same page. It’s gonna be good to get him back.”

Saleh and Ryans were both high-energy coaches on the sidelines. That was not a quality possessed by Wilks nor Sorensen, and Warner omitting them both is telling.

Overt displays of excitement on the sideline aren’t the only requisite quality for a good defensive coordinator, but it’s been clear the last couple of years the 49ers edge has been lacking on that side of the ball. There have been other problems, too. Warner alludes to them when talking about teaching and being on the same page. Personnel has also been an issue that goes beyond the scope of a DC’s responsibilities.

Warner’s excitement and his reasons for it are good signs for the immediate future of the 49ers’ defense. They’ve got a handful of other tweaks to make, but just getting Saleh back on the sideline should help San Francisco right away.

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How 49ers can avoid another potential DC search in 2026

Even though Robert Saleh is returning, it may not be for multiple years.

The San Francisco 49ers are re-hiring Robert Saleh to be their defensive coordinator.

While Saleh looks like a home-run hire given his success with the 49ers as their DC and a rapid turnaround for the New York Jets defense in Saleh’s second year as their head coach, he may also only stick around for one season.

Saleh received three interviews for head coach openings in the 2025 cycle. He figures to be a hot candidate again in the 2026 offseason assuming he helps the 49ers defense return to something close to championship form.

That wouldn’t have been a reason to pass him over. After all, the 49ers didn’t have many other viable options who check the boxes they’re aiming to check with their next DC hire. However, it does highlight the need to have a DC-in-waiting on the coaching staff.

When Saleh left the 49ers for the Jets after the 2020 season, the 49ers knew linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans was going to step into that role and he did so with rousing success. He wound up only working as the 49ers’ DC for two years before landing the head coaching job with the Houston Texans.

When Ryans exited, the 49ers had no such internal plan. They hired veteran defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, but he was let go after one season. San Francisco then tried giving defensive pass game specialist/nickels coach Nick Sorensen a shot. He was also fired after one year.

Now with Saleh returning, the 49ers need to look at their internal staff and identify another coach who can step in after Saleh. There’s a very real chance he finds another head coaching spot in 2026, and San Francisco would be smart to ensure they have a replacement lined up instead of filling time in another offseason looking for a DC.

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Will 49ers get draft picks if they lose Robert Saleh again?

This could get interesting.

There’s an interesting wrinkle to the San Francisco 49ers’ re-acquisition of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

While they’re gaining an experienced defensive coordinator with a strong track record, they may also gain another opportunity to secure a pair of third-round draft picks if he’s hired to be another team’s head coach.

San Francisco got two third-round compensatory picks (one each in the 2021 and 2022 drafts) after Saleh was hired by the New York Jets before the 2021 season because of the expansion of the NFL’s Rooney Rule. Teams acquire two third-round compensatory picks if a minority coach or executive is hired into a head coach or primary executive role with another team.

What’s unclear in the text of Resolution JC-2A whether teams will be awarded compensation if the minority coach or executive has been in a head coach or primary executive role with another team previously.

According to the text of the resolution published by Over the Cap, it would appear San Francisco would get a pair of third-round picks if Saleh spends at least two years with the 49ers and is then hired as another team’s head coach.

Via Over the Cap:

  • The employer-club shall be eligible to receive this Draft choice compensation if:

    • The minority employee hired as a Head Coach or Primary Football Executive has been employed by the employer-club for a minimum of two full seasons; and

    • The minority employee is not the Head Coach or Primary Football Executive of the employer-club and is hired into the same position with the new club. There can be no break in employment between clubs.

There’s no other stipulations in the resolution denying the awarding of comp picks if the assistant has previously been a head coach. If there is a rule against double-dipping on comp picks, it’s not written into JC-2A.

The bigger issue for San Francisco may be keeping Saleh around for more than one year. He was a head coach candidate in 2025, and there’s a strong chance he’s a top candidate in 2026 if he helps the 49ers defense return to form next season.

Perhaps the NFL will alter the rule at some point, but for now it looks like the 49ers could benefit again from the 2020 expansion of the Rooney Rule.

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49ers long defensive coordinator search is officially over

Robert Saleh is BACK.

It might have taken longer than they wanted, but the San Francisco 49ers finally have their defensive coordinator for the 2025 NFL season.

According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, the expected reunion between the 49ers and former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is officially happening after Saleh was passed over for the Jacksonville Jaguars job.

Saleh was one of two interviews the 49ers announced for their DC opening, opening the door for speculation that San Francisco knew Saleh wasn’t going to land one of the head coach openings.

That took a turn in the lead up to the NFL’s conference championship games when the Jaguars’ top candidate, Liam Coen, backed out of the running before his second interview. That left Saleh and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham as the lone candidates with second interviews, introducing new speculation that Saleh was the favorite for the job.

Then on Jan. 23, news quickly broke that Coen would once again pursue the Jags job after they fired general manager Trent Baalke. That quickly turned into news that Coen would be taking the Jaguars’ job, opening the door for Saleh to step into the 49ers’ DC role.

Saleh spent the 2017-20 seasons in San Francisco where he helped transform a dreadful 49ers defense into a Super Bowl caliber unit in his third season. After 2020 he was hired to be the New York Jets head coach where he spent the 2021-24 seasons. He was fired by the Jets after five games in 2024, and exited New York with a head coaching record of 20-36.

His defenses in New York were stout, though. They struggled in his first year, finishing last in the league in points and yards allowed. By his second season they leapt to No. 4 in both categories. They finished No. 3 in yards allowed the following two years.

He had similar success in San Francisco with his defenses finishing No. 2 and No. 5 in yards allowed is final two years.

The 49ers circled Saleh as their top candidate from the start, which makes sense since he checks all the boxes they’re looking for in terms of experience and prior success.

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All signs point to reunion between 49ers and their No. 1 option at DC

The 49ers appear to be in line to land Robert Saleh as their defensive coordinator … for now.

Things started breaking right for the San Francisco 49ers in their trek to land Robert Saleh as their next defensive coordinator.

It looked early Thursday as though the 49ers may need to wait until after the Super Bowl for an answer on Saleh’s future as the potential head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It also at that time looked like he was the favorite to land the job.

Then reporting surfaced from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday afternoon that Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who had pulled out of the running for the Jaguars job, was back in the running for the Jags job after the team fired general manager Trent Baalke.

It’s a wild turn that suddenly put Saleh in a position where he’s unlikely to land a head coaching job. For the entire process the 49ers have essentially been banking on Saleh not getting a lead job anywhere and re-joining San Francisco as their defensive coordinator.

While that was the expected outcome if he missed out on a head coach spot, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported a confirmation that Saleh told the 49ers he’d join their coaching staff barring an offer to be a head coach:

Nothing is finalized yet, and if the Jaguars have shown the NFL world anything over the last couple weeks it’s that anything is possible in their search for a head coach.

For now, all signs point toward Saleh missing out on that job, which would land him back leading the 49ers defense in 2025.

Update

Liam Coen is going to be the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach per the Athletic’s Jeff Howe.

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Fired 49ers DC won’t stay with team despite Kyle Shanahan’s wishes

Nick Sorensen isn’t staying on the 49ers coaching staff.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan won’t get his wish to retain fired defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen.

According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, Sorensen won’t be returning to the 49ers coaching staff after being fired as their defensive coordinator after the 2024 season. Shanahan told reporters at his end of season press conference that he hoped Sorensen would stay on the staff, possibly as the special teams coordinator.

Maiocco in that same report said the 49ers interviewed former New York Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer.

Boyer, 53, spent nine years as the Jets’ special teams coordinator, including the three seasons Robert Saleh was there as the head coach. Prior to joining the Jets, Boyer was an assistant special teams coach with the Indianapolis Colts from 2012-15.

Adding an experienced special teams coach should be a priority for San Francisco given their need for some stability at that spot after a rocky 2024 campaign. It says a lot about Boyer that he was on staff with three different head coaches in New York.

Boyer is also a former NFL player who was a sixth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1994. He spent 10 years in the NFL with the Dolphins, Jaguars and Browns. The linebacker played in 130 games and posted 323 tackles, 13.0 sacks and six interceptions.

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3 big days coming up for San Francisco 49ers DC search

All eyes on Jacksonville.

The future of the San Francisco 49ers defense could be decided over the next three days as the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching search winds down.

Jacksonville has second interviews scheduled Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday will be Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Thursday is Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and Friday is former 49ers DC and New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

Saleh is the No. 1 target for the 49ers in their hunt for a defensive coordinator. A reunion makes a ton of sense. San Francisco wants to find an experienced DC who can bring some of the fire and in-game adaptability that helped define the best versions of the 49ers defense during head coach Kyle Shanahan’s tenure.

Given Saleh’s prior success with the 49ers, it’s no wonder they set their sites on him early in the process and have only announced his interview and one other (Detroit Lions DBs coach Deshea Townsend).

However, his candidacy with the 49ers rides on whether he receives a head coaching job, which appears to be determined over the three days of second interviews.

In an ideal world, the 49ers won’t have to wait past Wednesday after Coen’s second interview. According to the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, that’s what the Buccaneers are bracing for.

If Coen doesn’t get the offer Wednesday, we’ll likely see the wait continue for the 49ers into the weekend. It’s not ideal that they’ve put themselves in a spot where the success of their defense could come down to how well other coaches do in second interviews in Jacksonville. That’s the position the 49ers find themselves in though, so the next few days will be big for their franchise.

All eyes on Jacksonville.

 

49ers DC search quickly going sideways as other teams make hires

This could be a mess…

Finding a new defensive coordinator became the first offseason box the San Francisco 49ers needed to check once they parted ways with former DC Nick Sorensen.

While they acted quickly in interviewing former New York Jets head coach and 49ers DC Robert Saleh, and Detroit Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend, their search appears to have stalled. Now they’re running out of options.

Saleh is the frontrunner for the job and the 49ers appear to be waiting for him to finish his spin through the head coaching interview cycle.

The problem is he already interviewed once for the head job with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and now he’s one of three people receiving a second interview with them per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will also have second interviews with the Jaguars.

Had the 49ers not been able to land Saleh, former Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich was another popular name in San Francisco’s DC search. They never interviewed him and he landed with the Atlanta Falcons.

Former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen was another name reported to be on the 49ers’ short list, and now he’s the frontrunner to become the next DC of the Chicago Bears under new head coach Ben Johnson according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Even a coach like former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who was not reported to be on the 49ers’ list of preferred candidates, is now on track to be hired by the Indianapolis Colts per Rapoport.

Perhaps the 49ers really like Townsend, a former NFL defensive back with 11 years of NFL experience as primarily a defensive backs coach. However, his lack of experience as a defensive coordinator may be disqualifying given some of the growing pains Sorensen had in his first year as a DC.

49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley is an internal candidate (and the only one, it appears).

Beyond that this may be the second consecutive offseason where the 49ers are trying to quickly patch up a massive hole in their coaching roster. If Saleh doesn’t get a head coaching job, they should be okay. If he does, they may be left empty handed and settling for someone incapable of getting their defense back to the level it needs to be for the 49ers to win a Super Bowl.

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