Who knows if he'll be successful there, but Brandon Staley is now the Saints' defensive coordinator after an unclear role with the 49ers.
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was probably pretty adamant he didn't want head coach Kyle Shanahan to retain one of his assistants from 2024, Brandon Staley, on the defensive staff entering 2025.
Perhaps that was a condition of Saleh's return. Perhaps not.
Either way, Staley wasn't going to return to the Bay Area after something of a confusing one-year tenure under Shanahan where the former Los Angeles Chargers head coach served as an assistant head coach and an advisor to one-and-done defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, who was dismissed after the Niners' frustrating 6-11 campaign.
A coaching "free agent," Staley sought employment elsewhere.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, he found it, joining the New Orleans Saints as their new defensive coordinator under new head coach Kellen Moore.
Saints are hiring former Chargers head coach and 49ers assistant Brandon Staley as their defensive coordinator, per me and @JFowlerESPN. Saints HC Kellen Moore and Staley worked together with the Chargers, and now will do the same for the Saints. pic.twitter.com/ITEsTRk3JF
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 21, 2025
The details of Staley's hiring in NOLA aren't clear yet, but one can assume it's a substantial pay increase from what San Francisco paid him a year ago.
And it's a chance to resurrect what was otherwise a floundering career that crashed when he was coaching the Bolts.
Can Brandon Staley bounce back in new job with Saints?
It's not wholly clear either exactly how Staley assisted Sorensen, whose defense finished 29th in scoring last season. What's clear is Shanahan thought highly of Staley and even remotely considered him to replace Sorensen when the latter was dismissed from duties at the conclusion of 2024.
Doing that would have been difficult, though, as Staley traditionally runs a 3-4 base defense, whereas the 49ers have operated a 4-3, first under Saleh back during his first tenure that began in 2017, and then through last season.
The philosophical shift might be coming to New Orleans, which also ran a 4-3 under its previous coordinator, Joe Woods, but struggled on the defensive side of the ball, too, allowing a whopping 5.8 yards per play last season, tied for fourth worst in the NFL.
Simply put, Staley will have his work cut out for him. Yet he might be granted some slack, given the lateness of Moore's hiring and the fact the Saints are very much in salary-cap hell amid what promises to be a lengthy rebuild.
At least it's an opportunity for the former Niners assistant.