It will be a second stint with the 49ers for Saleh, who already held the role of defensive coordinator for the franchise from 2017 to 2020. His defence was ranked second in the NFL in 2019, and fifth in 2020. In that 2020 year, San Francisco made the Super Bowl, losing to the Kansas City.
The 45-year-old has been coaching in the NFL since 2005, initially starting out with the Houston Texans, occupying multiple defensive roles during his time there. In 2011, Saleh made the switch to Seattle to the Seahawks, where he was the defensive quality control coach. He also had time in Jacksonville as the Jaguars' linebackers coach.
Following his first stint in San Francisco, Saleh got his first head coaching gig with the New York Jets, where he completed three full seasons there. However, after a 2-3 start in 2024, he was fired as the Jets failed to live up to their promise. Overall, he was 20-36 as the AFC East team's head coach, failing to make the postseason in any of the three full seasons he was there.
Saleh was not given much time to rest, as after his firing, the Green Bay Packers brought him in as an offensive consultant. The Packers did make the playoffs, but lost in the wild card round to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 49ers will be looking for more success after having a poor year where they finished 6-11 despite making the Super Bowl the season prior.