San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is going to be awfully judicious when picking his next head-coaching offer.

After a failed tenure as the New York Jets head coach, Saleh understands his next head-coaching gig might be his last. And if it doesn’t go well, he very well could be relegated to the ranks of coordinating defenses for the remainder of his NFL career.

So, he’ll pick carefully.

There are already guaranteed to be at least two potential openings: the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants, who fired respective head coaches Brian Callahan and Brian Daboll. And there could be more, too, depending on which franchises opt to move on from their own embattled head coaches between now and the end of the season.

Yet going to a dysfunctional franchise might be the last thing Saleh wants to do. Instability is arguably the best way to ensure a second firing as head coach, thereby leading to the scenario the Niners’ current coordinator wants to avoid.

However, one potential suitor might convince Saleh to take a chance: the Las Vegas Raiders.

Raiders could look to pluck Robert Saleh away from 49ers this offseason

Vegas’ attempt to right the proverbial ship in 2025 by hiring former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has been nothing short of disastrous. At 2-10, Las Vegas boasts the league’s second-worst scoring offense and a bottom-10 defense, too, which has resulted in the firing of some key assistants, including one former San Francisco head coach, Chip Kelly, who was coordinating Carroll’s offense.

Carroll, too, is on the hot seat. And it’s perfectly simple to envision owner Mark Davis pulling the plug after a forgettable one-and-done campaign.

So, could Saleh be Carroll’s replacement?

Last offseason, prior to rejoining the 49ers staff, Saleh was linked to the Raiders’ coaching gig prior to Carroll landing the assignment. In light of the job Saleh has done with a predominantly young and banged-up Niners defense this season, Davis might be regretting the decision to go with Carroll instead.

And that could lead to a lucrative offer toward Saleh, assuming Vegas cuts ties with Carroll.

Should that happen, there’d be a number of factors Saleh might demand and consider beyond just the pay. For starters, he might be fully inclined to retain several of Las Vegas’ defensive players. After all, Saleh is a disciple of Carroll’s 4-3 Under base defense, meaning there’d be no need for a major schematic overhaul.

Plus, considering the Raiders would need a gross overhaul of their offense to even compete within a stacked AFC West, Saleh should be able to bring aboard a worthy offensive coordinator while having a serious say in which available quarterback he’d want to replace Geno Smith under center.

Beyond all that, the one thing Saleh would demand is stability.

Davis has been quick to pull the plug on several coaches already (albeit, many with disastrous tenures), including Antonio Pierce and Mike McDaniel. So, not unlike what Shanahan demanded from San Francisco when accepting his role in 2017 in the wake of too-frequent coaching changes, Saleh may look at Davis and accept a head-coaching job only if given a five- or six-year term, not the usual three-year contract handed out to first-year head coaches.

In short, Saleh could easily depart to Las Vegas if the offer is too good to pass up, and the context for such an opening is already presenting itself.