It’s a moment the 49ers knew was likely to happen, but certainly hoped that it wouldn’t.
The Tennessee Titans are working to finalize a deal to hire 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their next head coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday night, citing sources.
Saleh also reportedly interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals before meeting with the Titans on Monday, two days removed from San Francisco’s 41-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs on Saturday at Lumen Field.
The Titans job would be Saleh’s second stint as an NFL head coach. After he spent the 2017-2020 seasons as 49ers DC, Saleh was hired as the New York Jets’ head coach in 2021 and was fired in October of the 2024 NFL season.
He served in a consultant role with the Green Bay Packers for the rest of that season, then interviewed for other head-coaching roles in the offseason before re-joining San Francisco as DC for the 2025 campaign.
The 49ers won’t receive draft-pick compensation for losing Saleh, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco.
Despite a 49ers defense that faced injuries to stars like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, Saleh led the unit to finish No. 11 in the NFL in points allowed and defy the odds to make it as far as the second round of the playoffs.
As the 49ers cleared out their lockers on Monday in Santa Clara, Warner offered a candid outlook on what it would mean for San Francisco to lose Saleh to a head-coaching role once again.
“It would suck a lot,” Warner said. “You know of course I always think about Saleh as the man and the relationship we have. And of course, I want him to have the opportunity again. But selfishly of course, I want him to stay here as well and have a chance at going and winning this thing next season.”
It appears as if the 49ers and Saleh won’t be running it back next season, though the Faithful and San Francisco’s players surely wish him the best in his new role.
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