The offseason coaching carousel will be an especially active one ahead of the 2026 NFL season, and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh could see himself in a new role. 

His star linebacker, Fred Warner, addressed Saleh’s potential departure from San Francisco. 

“It would suck a lot,” Warner told reporters Monday. “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.” 

After the Buffalo Bills fired Sean McDermott, 10 teams will have new head coaches next season. Three positions have been filled, with the New York Giants hiring John Harbaugh, the Atlanta Falcons hiring Kevin Stefanski and the Miami Dolphins reportedly hiring Jeff Hafley, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 

Multiple teams with vacancies remaining reportedly have interviewed Saleh, including the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. 

“But we’ll see, time will tell,” Warner said. 

Now that the 49ers have been eliminated, Saleh is free to do more extensive interviewing with teams for their head-coaching roles. 

It wasn’t a statistically pretty season for the 49ers’ defense in 2025. San Francisco ranked 20th in yards allowed per game and 13th in points allowed per game. 

But Saleh’s performance with injury hits to star players like Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa is remarkable and has deservedly earned him head coaching considerations. 

“Just having a guy like Saleh, he was so energetic coming off when we first met him,” 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir explained to reporters Monday. “Just playing for him, it was a blessing, just to learn how he’s a defensive mastermind.”  

“Despite us losing games… I think he’s still one of the best to do it.” 

If Saleh does land a new job, the 49ers will be looking for their fifth defensive coordinator in five seasons.  

The last 49ers defensive coordinator to coach consecutive seasons in San Francisco was current Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans in 2021 and 2022. 

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