Robert Saleh was hired as the head coach of the New York Jets in January 2021 and fired on October 8, 2024. Saleh never played in the NFL, but he did play tight end at Northern Michigan in college. He coached in both the collegiate and professional ranks for 15 years before getting his shot as the head coach of the Jets.
Robert Saleh’s Coaching Career
Saleh began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan State, where he worked with the tight end group in 2002 before transitioning to working with the defensive line in 2003. Saleh served as a defensive assistant at Central Michigan and then at Georgia for the 2004 and 2005 seasons, respectively, working with the defensive line and linebackers.
Saleh got his first NFL break by serving as a coaching intern for the Houston Texans under Gary Kubiak in 2005. Saleh remained in Houston, working his way up to becoming the full-time linebackers coach in 2009.
Saleh moved to coach for the Seattle Seahawks under Pete Carroll, working as a defensive quality control coach from 2011 to 2013 and helping coach the “Legion of Boom” defense. From there, Saleh became the full-time linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars under Gus Bradley. After three seasons with the Jaguars, Saleh was hired as the defensive coordinator for Kyle Shanahan’s initial staff on the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.
Saleh spent four years as the defensive coordinator of the 49ers. Saleh’s defense became a critical part of the 49ers’ run to Super Bowl LIV, as the 49ers finished second in total defense and first in passing defense that season. In his final season with the 49ers, Saleh’s unit finished fifth in the NFL in total defense and fourth in passing defense.
After building one of the NFL’s best defenses year after year in San Francisco, Saleh became the head coach of the New York Jets in 2021. While his first season saw the Jets finish with one of the NFL’s worst defenses, they quickly rebounded under Saleh and finished fourth in total defense in 2022. Saleh coached Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner in 2022 and has helped build the Jets’ defense into one of the game’s best.
The 2022 New York Jets featured four Pro Bowlers, two First-Team All-Pro players, and one Second-Team All-Pro player. They also had the winners of both Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and Gardner, respectively — becoming one of only three teams in NFL history to do so.
2023 saw the headline addition of QB Aaron Rodgers, which increased postseason expectations for Saleh’s tenure. Unfortunately, Rodgers went down on the fourth game of the season, and the Jets scratched to seven wins for the second straight year.
The Jets started 2-3 in 2024, and after losing to the Vikings in London, they decided to move on from Saleh. It was owner Woody Johnson’s first in-season firing.
Saleh finished with a 20-36 record as a head coach over his three-plus seasons with the Jets.