The 49ers are going all-in for a Robert Saleh reunion. 

According to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, the former head coach of the New York Jets has received an offer from San Francisco. The offer is to become the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the NFL.

Barrows mentioned on the “49ers +/-” podcast with Tim Kawakami that the situation seems to be leaning towards Saleh being the top choice for the 49ers. It appears that minimal work has been done with other candidates so far. Saleh has reportedly been informed by the 49ers that they are willing to make him the highest-paid defensive coordinator if he chooses to sign with them.

Despite this tempting offer from San Francisco, Saleh is also in the running for another head coaching position. After his departure from the Jets in October, he has attracted interest from teams like the Jaguars, Raiders, and Cowboys.

As Barrows noted, the 49ers are expected to wait and see if Saleh gets a head coaching job or another position elsewhere before moving on to other candidates. 

Before heading to the Jets in 2021, Saleh was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator under head coach Kyle Shanahan from 2017-20. 

The 49ers have been looking for his replacement ever since his departure. 

After the 2021 season, Saleh’s successor, DeMeco Ryans, took the head coaching position with the Texans. 

The team would go one-and-done at the coaching spot with Steve Wilks in 2023 and Nick Sorensen this past season after disappointing defensive outputs. 

The 49ers have only conducted one other confirmed interview for the position – that was with Lions defensive passing game coordinator Deshea Townsend.

San Francisco was one of the most disappointing teams of the 2024 season, going 6-11 while finishing last in the NFC West and missing the playoff for the first time in four seasons.