As speculation heats up in the San Francisco 49ers' search for a new defensive coordinator, there seems to be fluctuation in who the franchise prefers to hire in 2025.
Among the potential candidates has been former 49ers' defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who helped shape the defense into one of the most formidable units in football from 2017-2020 before taking over as head coach of the New York Jets until 2024.
There's a possibility that Saleh could return to San Francisco, but there could be existing complications on both sides. Saleh is considered to be “the favorite” for the 49ers role, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano. He also noted ties to the Jacksonville Jaguars for their coaching vacancy.
“A few people I've talked to expect former Jets head coach (and former 49ers defensive coordinator) Robert Saleh to be the favorite to land back in San Francisco to fill their open defensive coordinator position,” Graziano said. “Saleh is also on the Jaguars' list of head coach interviewees, so one would assume he'd let that situation play out before taking a coordinator job.”
Saleh's familiarity with the organization, and some of the key players have given him a bumped edge over other potential candidates.
49ers may consider Jeff Ulbrich over Robert Saleh as DC

Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich's name has floated around as another potential candidate for the 49ers' defensive coordinator role. An awkward scenario, given that he took over for New York after the organization let go of Saleh in October.
The 49ers could also fill the position internally, in which last year's assistant head coach Brandon Staley would be the frontrunner, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
“To expand on what Dan said about Saleh and the 49ers, my sense is veteran players there are tired of the lack of continuity after back-to-back coordinator hirings and firings. I'm also watching Ulbrich, Saleh's pupil dating to their 49ers days. My understanding is San Francisco not only explored hiring Ulbrich last year but also put on the full-court press to recruit him. Ulbrich was under contract and the Jets shut the possibility down. Brandon Staley is a strong in-house candidate and could also be in the mix on other NFL coordinator jobs. There are other available, quality external candidates with 4-3 scheme expertise, from Allen to Eberflus to recently fired Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. This will be the top defensive coordinator job, at least based on current personnel.”
It remains one of the most coveted job openings across the NFL landscape, for the coach just ambitious enough to try and revive the 49ers' once-dominant defense. Based on the level of steam in the process, a hiring decision could be made sooner rather than later.