The San Francisco 49ers have been the beneficiary of having Robert Saleh back as defensive coordinator this season. However, Saleh may end up being one-and-done if he gets hired as a head coach elsewhere, which could open the door for head coach Kyle Shanahan to reunite with an old friend.
The Atlanta Falcons are in the midst of a brutal season. After a promising start to the year, Atlanta has only won one game since the Niners took them down in Week 7. The Falcons sit at 4-9 after Week 14 and have endured another season of disappointment under head coach Raheem Morris.
The Falcons have had some bad luck this season with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. going down with an ACL injury, but Morris could still be on the hot seat given his team's lackluster performance.
Morris has been the head coach of the Falcons since 2024. He previously served as Atlanta's interim head coach during the 2020 season after Dan Quinn was fired. Prior to that, Morris was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons from 2009 to 2011.
Throughout his coaching career, Morris has had close ties to Shanahan. The two crossed paths in Tampa Bay and again with the Falcons, so there is a lot of respect and mutual admiration between the two.
Ahead of San Francisco's Week 7 matchup against Atlanta, Shanahan had the following to say about Morris:
"In Atlanta, he helped me so much. Raheem's a great defensive coach... tried to bring him here, Dan [Quinn] wouldn't let him at the time. I've tried to bring him here a number of times."
Well, Shanahan may have another opportunity to bring him onto his staff depending on how things shake out the rest of this season. If the Falcons' collapse continues, Atlanta may have no other choice than to move on from Morris and start fresh.
And if the 49ers continue to play well on defense and Saleh's stock continues to rise as a head coaching candidate, they may be looking for a new defensive coordinator for the fourth straight season.
Shanahan clearly thinks the world of Morris, so it would not be a surprise at all if he tries to bring him into San Francisco's fold if Saleh departs and Morris gets let go.
The Niners also have a potential replacement for Saleh, internally, with Gus Bradley on the staff, but Shanahan would probably not be able to pass up the opportunity to reunite with Morris if the stars align.