A day after The Athletic reported that the San Francisco 49ers were about to stage a reunion with Robert Saleh, the club announced Friday that the former New York Jets head coach is returning to his old job as defensive coordinator.

The San Francisco 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan today announced that Robert Saleh has been named as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Pelissero added that Saleh impressed during interviews and is poised to become a hot head coaching candidate after this season. That makes sense, given how dominant the 49ers were

Robert Saleh is back as defensive coordinator of the 49ers, and all is right with the world. For now, anyway. Coach Kyle Shanahan has cycled through DeMeco Ryans, Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen after Saleh’s departure following the 2020 season to become head coach of the New York Jets.

The San Francisco 49ers are going back to a familiar face to be their fourth defensive coordinator in as many seasons. Robert Saleh, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks during his three seasons as a defensive quality control coach,

The San Francisco 49ers' patience appears to have paid off. Head coach Kyle Shanahan opted to wait out the latest head coach hiring cycle, holding out hope for his preferred defensive coordinator candidate,