The 49ers appear to be all-in on hiring Robert Saleh, which only reinforces potential problems if he's hired away elsewhere.
The San Francisco 49ers better hope free-agent coach Robert Saleh turns down any head-coaching offers, or at the very least, isn't offered such vacancies this offseason.
Saleh is interviewing with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys for their coaching vacancies, and some reports even speculate he's the favorite to earn the Jags' role, even if it means working with general manager Trent Baalke (not exactly a Niners fan-favorite).
Yet signs are also pointing to the Niners honing in almost exclusively on Saleh for their defensive coordinator opening in the wake of firing one-and-done coach Nick Sorensen after a disappointing 2024.
It might not be the best strategy.
Earlier this week, The Athletic's Matt Barrows appeared on The TK Show with SF Standard's Tim Kawakami and delved into San Francisco's search for a new coordinator.
What Barrows revealed is startling.
"It’s Robert Saleh or bust, really," Barrows revealed. "Because they haven’t done much work with anybody else to this point. I’ve heard that they already told Saleh 'we will make you the highest paid defensive coordinator in all the land if you sign with us.' So now it’s just a matter of waiting for Saleh."
You can listen to the full episode below:
Granted, the 49ers haven't restricted their entire coordinator search to the former New York Jets head coach who was also employed by head coach Kyle Shanahan and the Niners from 2017 through 2020. San Francisco also interviewed Detroit Lions defensive assistant Deshea Townsend for the position, and Shanahan also suggested he'd give 49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley some consideration, too.
However, considering there are plenty of other alternatives out there -- including Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich and former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen -- the fact the Niners have been notably quiet on the coordinator interview front is rather deafening.
Saleh might recognize that going to Jacksonville, Dallas or Vegas might not provide him with the best context for success, which could entice him to await better opportunities in the future, whatever they may be.
That seems to be what San Francisco is hoping for.
However, if any of those aforementioned interviewing teams give Saleh an offer he can't refuse, the 49ers could pay a steep price for not having a solid contingency plan in place.