One of the most impactful moves the San Francisco 49ers made last offseason was rehiring Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator after four years as the New York Jets head coach.
San Francisco’s defense has been decimated by injuries, and they lost Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mikel Williams in their front seven this year. Yetur Gross-Matos, Malik Mustafa and Tatum Bethune also missed important games.
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Still, the 49ers defense ranks 18th in yards allowed (333.6) and 11th in points allowed (20.9).
With head coaching vacancies opening up this upcoming offseason, Saleh is expected to be a top candidate for several teams, and while he’s certainly interested in reaching that mark again one day, he won’t jump at any chance.
“Everybody wants to be at the top of their career, they want to be successful just to see how far they can go and what they can accomplish,” Saleh recently told ESPN. “Do I aspire to be at the top one day and hoist the Lombardi Award? Absolutely. Am I anxious? No, I love it here.
“Obviously, the desire is there, but at the same time, it’s not desperation.”
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This is good news for the 49ers, as the teams currently looking for a head coach are the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans. While both teams have some building blocks, it’s hard to see Saleh returning to New York when Tennessee just fired two coaches in three years. That instability could keep Saleh in San Francisco.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Robert Saleh may not be leaving 49ers for next head coaching job anytime soon