According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Baltimore Ravens have requested an interview with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for their head coach opening.
Saleh, 46, was the defensive
coordinator for the 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan from 2017 to 2020 before being hired as the head coach of the New York Jets in 2021. Saleh’s tenure with the Jets did not go as planned, as he was fired during his fourth season with the team, finishing his time in New York and sole head coaching stint with a 20-36 record. Saleh returned as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator in 2025 and is once again drawing interest from teams looking for their next head coach.
While Saleh’s time with the Jets is a reasonable cause for concern, it is worth noting his quarterback situation over those years. Saleh was ultimately dealt a bad hand from the start, as New York put their eggs in the basket of BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, whom the Jets drafted third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. After two seasons of Wilson failing to live up to expectations, New York rocked the NFL landscape by trading for Green Bay Packers quarterback and four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. While Rodgers was coming off a down season with the Packers in 2022, he was just a year removed from winning back-to-back MVPs. Unfortunately for the Jets, they were not out of quarterback purgatory, as Rodgers tore his Achilles just four snaps into his New York debut. Rodgers returned to the field the next season, but a 2-3 start led to Saleh’s firing.
Even though the team as a whole disappointed during Saleh’s time as a head coach, his defenses remained strong. With Baltimore’s storied history of excellent defense, Saleh is an intriguing fit. After back-to-back seasons of rocky defensive performances under defensive coordinator Zach Orr, the Ravens could quickly reestablish their place as one of the league’s most-feared defenses with Saleh at the helm. Finding a worthwhile offensive coordinator to replace Todd Monken in Baltimore would be instrumental for Saleh. With ties to the Shanahan coaching tree, he could have his pick of several strong candidates.
