Former New York Jets HC Robert Saleh Brings Three Ex-Jets to 49ers

Former New York Jets HC Robert Saleh Brings Three Ex-Jets to 49ers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Robert Saleh spent four seasons as the head coach of the New York Jets, holding a record of 20-36 as an NFL head coach. Saleh was hired due to his resume as a top-end defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers, a post he has reclaimed this offseason.

Saleh and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, who served the Jets in that post from 2016 to 2024, have added three former Jets to their respective units in a weeks time.

The first move came after the 49ers released Mitch Wishnowsky earlier this week, a move that was surprising to some after an injury-riddled season that saw him have one of the lowest averages of any punter in the NFL.

After Wishnowsky’s release, the 49ers scooped up former Jet punter Thomas Morstead.

The initial reaction from many was to assume that Wishnowsky was let go due to his recurring back issues, however 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the decision was not health-related.

“He is healthy. So, he’s going to go to a team and help a team out a lot. But those are things you’ve always got to predict.” Shanahan said. “You don’t know how those things go, and you’ve got to take the risk-reward and something that to me wasn’t a big risk or worth the risk until someone like Morstead becomes available. And that put us on where we needed to make a decision.”

Shanahan said that Morstead becoming available and his familiarity with Boyer helped lead to Wishnowsky’s release.

“Well, I mean he definitely has the most expertise in the building. So, I always tend to lean towards whoever has the most expertise. But it’s got to make sense. We’ve all got to agree with it. And it was really hard to cut ties with Mitch [Wishnowsky].” Shanahan stated. “I love Mitch. He’s one of my favorite guys I’ve been around, especially from a special team standpoint and punter standpoint. He’s such a football player in how he plays. The guys love him. But when you just look into contract situations, how last year went and things, the fact that [P Thomas] Morstead became available, [special teams coordinator] Brant [Boyer] being so familiar with him and having that relationship, it ended up making it a decision that wasn’t easy, but we felt all confident it was best for our team.”

The second former Jet brought into the Niners fold is linebacker Chase Surratt, who played 32 games with the Jets over the past three seasons, including starting five of the 17 games he played in 2024. Surratt also served on four different special teams units for the Jets.

The third prong of the former Jet trifecta is Bryce Huff, who the 49ers have a pending trade for. Huff spent the first four years of his career with the Jets, posting a 10 sack campaign in 2023, despite not being a starter in any of his 17 games. Huff spent this past season with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played a key part in their Super Bowl winning season.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.

Former New York Jets HC Robert Saleh Brings Three Ex-Jets to 49ers

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