“I try to observe people from afar, and Cam is there every day,” he said, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s official website. “Obviously we can’t talk ball with him (because of NFL rules), but I can watch him interact with the people in the building.

“I think it is very impressive for a young man to walk through the building and know everybody by name from the janitors to the chefs to the trainers, and he addresses them by name. He is a really, really good man. I just think his head is on the right way, he has the right work ethic. I just don’t see him failing.”

The best is yet to come

After a solid rookie campaign with the Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward is poised to take a significant leap in his second NFL season. In 2025, Ward recorded 3,169 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, showing flashes of the elite dual-threat potential that made him a first-round pick.

To elevate these numbers in 2026, he will benefit from a modernized offense under new head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. With his completion percentage sitting at 59.8% and having faced 55 sacks last year, Ward’s focus is on improving his pocket efficiency and quick decision-making.

If the Titans successfully surround him with more playmakers in the upcoming draft, Ward has a clear path to becoming one of the league’s most productive young quarterbacks.

Daboll arrives to boost Ward

Another new face in Tennessee is offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. The former Giants coach brings experience in developing quarterbacks, which has Saleh extremely excited.

“That’s going to be awesome,” Saleh said. “I’m sure they’ll bicker at each other every once in a while, and they’ll challenge each other often. But that is the exact temperament that you want out of your quarterback.”

“Trade: the New York Jets are sending DE Jermaine Johnson to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for DT T’Vondre Sweat, per ESPN sources. The trade cannot be processed until the start of the new league year in March.”

Borgonzi worked for many years with the Kansas City Chiefs, so he wants to build that winning culture in Tennessee. The future looks promising with Cam Ward as quarterback, more than $100 million in cap space, and the No. 4 overall pick in the next NFL Draft.

NY Jets former head coach seeks redemption in 2026

Robert Saleh received the biggest opportunity of his career in 2021 as head coach of the New York Jets, but he was never able to turn them into Super Bowl contenders. Several factors played a role. For example, Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury in 2023. From that moment on, everything collapsed.

During an interview with Judy Battista, Saleh admitted that he learned a lot from his time with the Jets. “There’s no handbook for first time in any profession. There’s a lot of things that I learned. I’m more prepared now than I ever was. There are many things from my Jets’ tenure that I’m so appreciative of. There are some things that I’m going to leave behind. Obviously, there are things to continue to grow. I can assure that just going through that experience, a lot of things were learned.”

After a slow start in 2024, the Jets no longer had patience and decided to fire him. In 2025, he worked as the defensive coordinator of the 49ers, the very role that put him in the spotlight between 2017 and 2020.

After interviewing Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Dolphins will interview Chargers DC Jesse Minter and 49ers DC Robert Saleh. All this comes to light after Dolphins’ possible target, John Harbaugh, signed with the Giants.

The Dolphins already had interviews with former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak. Hence, this marks a change of focus now, where the Dolphins went from offensive-minded coaches to now going the other route with defensive coordinators.

Robert Saleh has made his name relevant again

After getting unceremoniously fired by the New York Jets, Robert Saleh’s future as a head coach in the NFL looked cloudy. However, his work as the 49ers DC has been so great, that within a year, he is back in the radar for many teams.

Not only that, but Saleh has done a magnificent job without the team’s two best defensive players. Nick Bosa and Fred Warner have missed most of the year and Saleh has made this defense a situationally great unit regardless. If he lands a head coaching job, whether it’s with the Dolphins or elsewhere, he is on redemption time.

Jesse Minter is also an intriguing name

Minter, who serves as Justin Herbert‘s Chargers DC, has been an interim HC once in his career, albeit at the collegiate level. However, his job with the Chargers is too good to ignore.

It’s the same with Saleh, as Christian McCaffrey had the 49ers offense rolling. The difference is that Minter is seeking his first head coaching job in the NFL, so he has all to prove, but also the responsibility to create credibility around his name.

The 49ers coach painted a vivid picture of their dynamic ommunication. “I don’t text, I yell ‘Saleh,’ and he can hear me,” Shanahan joked. “Sometimes I’ll hear him yell my name, and sometimes I’ll get up and walk down there, or I’ll just ignore it.” That unfiltered approach, Shanahan explained, has become part of their rhythm and trust.

Their late-night sessions have become a cornerstone of the 49ers’ identity. “We’ll go into each other’s offices before we leave at night just to see what’s going on,” Shanahan told NBC. “Usually when I do that, I’ll tell my wife I’m about to leave in five minutes, but I stop by there and don’t leave for about an hour and a half.”

Saleh, for his part, echoed the mutual respect that fuels their partnership. “The 49ers felt right to me,” he told The Athletic. “It’s a championship organization, with an owner, GM, and head coach I respect so much. Watching the way they operate is such a helpful thing for me… And Kyle and I had already rebuilt a defense once, this was a chance for us to do it again.”

49ers players open up on Saleh’s impact

49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir described Saleh’s defensive vision. “It’s more than a game plan,” Lenoir said. “He doesn’t just game plan. He dissects. You know like in biology class, you’ve got the frog? You’ve got to open him up and see where his heart’s at. With Saleh, we’re going straight for the heart.”

George Kittle has also been vocal about how much Saleh’s return has lifted the team. “Saleh is the best signing we’ve ever had,” Kittle said after their win over the Falcons. “It’s not just how smart he is, but his juice. He’s inspirational. His energy is infectious every single day, and he gets our young guys ready.”

Brock Purdy added that the new dynamic between Shanahan and Saleh has made a visible difference on both sides of the ball. “Saleh brings a different kind of energy to the building, and he’s dialing it up,” Purdy said. “He’s really, really smart, and it’s helping us a lot.”

In a composed manner and determined to clear the air, Saleh delivered a decisive message regarding the situation with Jaguars‘ head coach, which put both individuals in a challenging position due to the footage and audio that surfaced from the official broadcast after the game.

“It’s all good. Whatever happened on Sunday doesn’t change how I feel. In my heart, I genuinely was trying to give a compliment. I own the fact that I probably used the wrong choice of words,” Saleh conveyed to the media, reflecting on the exchange.

Saleh elaborated: “However you want to word it. They are really, really good at putting their players in a position to be successful… Everyone in the league is trying to find every avenue they can. As a coach watching their tape, I recognized the hours they put in.“

Head coach Kyle Shanahan weighs in on the matter

As the 49ers prepare for their upcoming game this weekend, Shanahan chose to address the episode involving Saleh and Coen. Rather than dwelling on their misunderstanding, he humorously referenced the individuals who might outmatch Saleh in a physical confrontation.

“Just me… I’d probably bet on Dan Campbell over a lot of people. Saleh is too nice. Someone (Liam Coen) struck a chord the other day. I don’t think any fight is going on. It’s comical looking back on it now,” Shanahan remarked.

Looking ahead, the 49ers must focus on their next opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, who recently secured a victory against the Indianapolis Colts and will be eager to capitalize on this momentum.

Regardless of the post-game incident, tensions had been simmering well before kickoff. Saleh‘s pre-game remarks about Coen were less than flattering, setting the stage for the confrontation. When approached by the media, Coen chose discretion and refrained from fueling the controversy with further comment.

“Let’s keep that between us,” Coen reiterated to reporters eager for details about the verbal clash. His insistence on privacy, repeated at least three times, highlighted his reluctance to elaborate on the incident further.

With Coen maintaining silence, fans took to social media to debate what had transpired, focusing on Saleh’s ill-timed remarks. Thus, the final score of 26-21 in favor of Jacksonville became a mere footnote in a game remembered more for its sidelines theatrics than its outcome.

Coen’s words to Saleh

At the game’s conclusion, as is customary, players and coaching staff exchanged pleasantries on the field. However, Coen seized the moment to confront Saleh directly, leaving little doubt about his feelings.

“Keep my name out of your f*** mouth,” Coen was heard admonishing Saleh during their encounter. Saleh, seemingly unfazed, retorted, “You don’t want to f*** with me. I will end your life,” escalating the tension between the two coaches.

Saleh’s controversial comments

While their heated exchange was captured on television for fans to witness, many remain unaware of Saleh’s earlier remarks. He reportedly accused Coen and his staff of employing a sophisticated, albeit legally questionable, signal-stealing system.

Such serious accusations striking at the integrity of NFL play inevitably fueled Coen’s reaction on the field. Whether this escalation will lead to further developments remains to be seen, but the current animosity between the two coaches is undeniable.

Needless to say, those comments didn’t go over well inside the Jaguars’ facility. However, rather than fueling the controversy, Jacksonville HC chose to take the high road, tuning out the noise and keeping the team’s focus squarely on the game ahead.

In a recent media appearance, Coen was asked about the signal-stealing accusations, but the former Buccaneers offensive coordinator quickly shifted the conversation to what truly matters — the game itself.

“I’m not going to speak on that fully right now,” he said. “We have a huge game for us coming up this weekend. We’ve got a great defense that we’ve got to go and attack and that’s where our whole mindset and mentality is right now.”

“Yeah, again, we’re just really trying to focus on a darn good defense that we have to go and try to go attack. Offensively, get better, about us getting better. Putting it together for four quarters and trying to create some explosives in the pass game. Some of those things we’re trying to get better at as an offense. So that’s where our focus is.”

Saleh heats up the matchup against Jaguars

Robert Saleh joined the 49ers this season as the new defensive coordinator, and ahead of a key matchup against the Jaguars, he stirred the pot by accusing Liam Coen’s staff of having a “legal” plan to steal his team’s signals — adding even more intrigue to an already high-stakes showdown.

“Liam [Coen] and his staff, a couple guys coming from Minnesota they got, legally, a really advanced signal stealing system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation,” said Saleh.

“They do a great job of it. They formation you. They just try to find any nugget they can. So we’ve got to be great with our signals. We’ve gotta be great with our communication to combat some of those tells we might give on the field. They’re almost elite in that regard. That whole entire tree from Sean to Kevin O’Connell to all those guys. They all do it.”

When and where do the Jaguars and 49ers play?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are set for one of their most challenging matchups of the young season, heading to the West Coast to take on the undefeated San Francisco 49ers in a Week 4 clash. The game is scheduled for Sunday, September 28, 2025, with kickoff slated for 4:05 p.m. ET (1:05 p.m. PT).

The action will unfold at the 49ers‘ home turf, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, marking a significant road test for a Jaguars team looking to prove its legitimacy against one of the league’s top contenders.

Robert Saleh has steadily built a reputation as one of the most innovative defensive minds. Known for fiery leadership and sharp schemes, his influence on the 49ers’ defense has turned heads and reshaped how opponents approach the field.

Beyond Xs and Os, his impact has translated into tangible value. Teams notice not just the wins but the disciplined intensity he demands. His contract details have become a topic of conversation among analysts curious about what elite coordinators command.

In the broader landscape of NFL coaching, defensive coordinators rarely reach the spotlight of head coaches—but his success and the respect he commands hint at a financial package that reflects his rising stature, even as the league evolves.

What is Robert Saleh’s salary with the 49ers?

Robert Saleh’s compensation as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator has been a topic of significant interest. In January 2025, Forbes reported that the team extended an offer to make him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the NFL.

The exact current salary is not publicly known, but he previously earned $5 million per year with the New York Jets. After parting ways with the team in October 2024, it was confirmed that he would continue receiving $583,333 per month, according to the terms of his five-year contract.

The decision to offer Saleh this position and salary also highlights the San Francisco’s strategic approach to building a competitive team. By investing in a proven defensive mind like him, the organization aims to strengthen its defense and, by extension, its overall performance in the league.

The lack of public disclosure regarding the contract’s details is not uncommon in the NFL, where teams and coaches often prefer to keep financial agreements confidential. Nevertheless, the reported offer underscores the 49ers’ commitment to securing top-tier coaching talent.

It’s not just some of the 49ers’ new players who will be looking to make an impact for a historic franchise determined to return to the spotlight. Head coach Kyle Shanahan’s staff also brought in fresh faces — additions that could help unlock the full potential of a high-caliber roster.

Robert Saleh has returned to the Bay Area to take over as the new defensive coordinator, aiming to fix a unit that underperformed last season. Can the former Jets HC rebuild the defense into one of the league’s elite once again?

Kittle expresses confidence in Saleh’s return as DC

There’s a strong sense of excitement building in San Francisco — not just among the fans, but within the locker room as well. George Kittle, one of the team’s standout leaders, sent a warning to the rest of the NFL, showing particular enthusiasm about Robert Saleh’s return to join Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff.

“He’s really good at his job, and I’m really excited that we somehow convinced him to be our defensive coordinator again,” Kittle said. “He knows what he’s talking about, he’s inspiring, he gets the boys fired up, and he just happens to also be really, really smart.

“So, I’m pumped to have him back in the building, just hanging out with him a little bit, talking about stuff. You can just tell he’s ready to roll this year, and he’s gonna get the boys fired up.“

The goal to become contenders again

Last NFL season’s results left no one satisfied, fueling a strong thirst for redemption within the team. Keeping key players like Brock Purdy on the roster, along with stars such as Kittle and Christian McCaffrey, shows that the 49ers remain fully committed to their goal of contending for the title.

It’s a matter of seeing how the team performs moving forward and aiming to get off to a strong start in Week 1 of the regular season. Can San Francisco make a return to the Super Bowl this year?

The 49ers’ first challenges

• @ Seattle Seahawks, September 7th
• @ New Orleans Saints, September 14th
• vs Arizona Cardinals, September 21st
• vs Jacksonville Jaguars, September 28th
• @ Los Angeles Rams, October 2nd

According to Warner’s recent comments to Jennifer Lee Chan, he affirmed that the energy Robert Saleh brings back to the team is highly contagious: “It’s contagious. You can see it.” He also reminisced about the strong defenses of the past: “Him and DeMeco, that’s a big part of why we were so successful, and obviously the teaching portion of it all, and making sure we were all on the same page.”

For Warner, having Saleh back in the defensive coordinator role could lead to improvements, saying, “It’s going to be good to get him back.” It’s worth noting that Saleh previously worked with San Francisco in the same position from 2017 to 2020 before leaving to become the head coach of the Jets in 2021.

The 2024 season was good for Warner, with 131 combined tackles—just one less than last year. This time, he had only two quarterback hits, the lowest in that category since 2018. However, at the end of the season, he was not only called to the Pro Bowl but also named All-Pro.

The 49ers’ Defense Under Robert Saleh

The good times Warner refers to with Saleh and the 49ers‘ defense date back to 2019, when they had a winning record of 13-3 and reached the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Chiefs. In the other three seasons where Saleh was the defensive coordinator, the team finished with a negative record and did not make it to the postseason.

Since Saleh left his position as defensive coordinator, the 49ers have returned to the playoffs three consecutive times between 2021 and 2023. They were ranked as the best defense in terms of points allowed in 2022 (16.3 per game). However, in 2024, they experienced one of the worst defensive collapses, finishing as the 29th overall defensive line in the NFL—a ranking they hadn’t seen since 2015. Under Saleh in 2018, they were ranked 28th overall.

Rodgers always maintained that his relationship with Saleh was a good one and that no disagreements between him and his coach played a role in the Jets’ decision to fire him, dispelling rumors to the contrary. Stats show that Saleh failed to qualify New York for the playoffs in any of his seasons in charge of the team, accumulating a record of 20 wins and 36 losses.

It’s been a long time since that moment in Saleh’s career, who spent the final part of last season in a consulting role for the Green Bay Packers. Now, however, the former Jets head coach will have a full-time job with another NFL team.

Saleh’s new job with NFL team

Robert Saleh’s new NFL staff position after being dismissed from the Jets is defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. It will be his second stint as DC for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s NFL franchise.

While several sources were already calling Saleh’s return to the 49ers a done deal, the news was not official because the former Jets coach was being interviewed as a candidate for head coaching positions with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders.

Saleh’s first stint as 49ers defensive coordinator

Robert Saleh played a key role as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator between 2017 and 2020. Those were successful years in which the team’s defense was known for its solidity, reaching Super Bowl LIV. His time in San Francisco earned him the recognition that led him to become the head coach of the Jets.

Aiming to improve the 49ers’ defense

Much was expected of the 49ers in the 2024 NFL season, but San Francisco had a disappointing campaign in which they failed to even qualify for the playoffs. Saleh will have the challenge of improving on a team that hasn’t been a disaster, allowing an average of 25.6 points per game, which ranks third worst in the league.