The 49ers family runs deep, and ex-defensive coordinator Robert Saleh looks back fondly on his time with San Francisco.
The New York Jets coach recently reflected on the team that gave him his first DC job ahead of his return to Levi’s Stadium in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, crediting the 49ers organization and its players for where he is today.
“First off, it’s a special place, getting my first opportunity as a coordinator,” Saleh told reporters Thursday. “Took over a not-so-great defense, and we were able to build that thing and bring in guys like Fred Warner, [Nick] Bosa, [Arik] Armstead, [DeForest] Buckner, Jimmie Ward, [Jaquiski] Tartt, K’Waun Williams, D.J. Jones, [Dre] Greenlaw — there’s so many guys.
“Eric Reid was there for the first year. I’m sure I missed some guys, but Dee Ford, Ronnie Blair. If you like winning, you like Ronnie. There’s so many guys, so many coaches. I’ll forever be indebted to the Shanahan family. Papa [Mike] Shanahan, who had a tremendous influence. [49ers coach] Kyle [Shanahan], obviously, challenged me every day to look outside the box; [general manager/president of football operations] John [Lynch] and his tutelage.
“I mean, it’s just an elite organization. The York family and the way they operate day to day. I think it’s a class organization, and [I’m] forever indebted to them.”
Saleh served as 49ers DC for four seasons from 2017 to 2020, joining a new regime under Shanahan and Lynch that reestablished San Francisco as a dominant NFL force. The 49ers returned to the playoffs for the first time since their 2013 campaign during the 2019 NFL season, led by a lights-out defense with Saleh at the helm.
The 49ers’ defense was sixth in the league in forced turnovers (27), second in total defense (281.8 yards per game), first in passing defense (169.2 yards per game) and fourth in sacks (48) during that 2019 season, marking the first time since 2003 that San Francisco finished in the top 10 in both scoring and yards per game. Saleh helped Shanahan lead the team to a 13–3 record and Super Bowl LIV, where the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
After Saleh turned the 49ers’ defense around, the sought-after coordinator signed a five-year contract to coach the Jets following the 2020 season. Saleh’s inside linebackers coach, DeMeco Ryans, then took over as 49ers DC and helped San Francisco reach the postseason in both 2021 and 2022 before following in Saleh’s footsteps and becoming head coach of the Houston Texans ahead of the 2023 season.
The 49ers certainly take pride in their coordinators and assistants rising up the coaching ladder, whether it’s with them or a different NFL team. And now, in New York, Saleh is repeating history after coaching a top-three defense with the Jets last year.
San Francisco’s 2024 season opener on Sept. 9 will be Saleh’s first time back at Levi’s Stadium since Nov. 5, 2020, when the 49ers played their final game of the year on their home turf before finishing out their campaign at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona, when Santa Clara County expanded its coronavirus restrictions during the pandemic.
And even though Saleh rocks green now instead of the Red and Gold, he can be sure to expect a warm welcome from the 49ers Faithful after all he accomplished in the Bay.
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