If the 49ers fail to land Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator, rumors point to a reunion (yes, reunion) with a longtime foe, Pete Carroll.
Should Hollywood ever write a screenplay about the coaching carousel that took place in the first few weeks of 2025, no one would actually believe it. It'd be too fictitious.
Yet here we are.
The drama surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars and their decision to fire head coach Doug Pederson but retain a controversial and abrasive general manager in Trent Baalke, only to pivot and fire Baalke weeks later when it became clear he was getting in the way of hiring preferred Pederson replacements is borderline comical.
And potentially disastrous to the San Francisco 49ers, who were all but locked in on grabbing former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh as their defensive coordinator replacement for one-and-done Nick Sorensen.
Saleh is going through interviews for the Jags' vacancy. With Baalke out of the way, the likelihood of Saleh taking their head-coaching gig over a less-prolific coordinator role in the Bay Area increases.
A lot.
The Niners can be faulted for not expanding their coordinator search. And, if Saleh doesn't pan out, whatever end result happens should fall on head coach Kyle Shanahan's shoulders.
Even if it includes one of the most unbelievable contingency plans possible.
49ers rumored to be in on former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll
If you read the title, you have foresight into this apparent contingency plan.
According to Niners insider Tim Kawakami of SF Standard, San Francisco has "internally" discussed former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll as a fallback option if Saleh heads to Duval County.
Kawakami also added:
"This swiftly could turn into a highly desperate situation if the 49ers miss out on Robert Saleh, their top choice for defensive coordinator, and they basically run out of other notable options from the Pete Carroll defensive tree. Maybe it’s already pretty desperate, right?
Well, here’s a solution to ease many anxieties:
Why not just check in with Carroll?"
Schematically, it makes sense. Carroll is one of the original architect of the 4-3 Under, Cover 3-style defense Shanahan has long deployed and Saleh helped popularize.
Plus, older fans can recall Carroll serving as the 49ers' defensive coordinator way back in 1995 and 1996.
A reunion, right?
Well, not exactly. Carroll is also a head-coaching candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders' opening, but actually hiring Carroll probably isn't the solution Niners fans want to hear. As was the case with criticisms about bring Saleh back, bringing in Carroll doesn't suggest a desire for San Francisco's defense to evolve and meet current challenges the also-evolving NFL offenses are beginning to deploy.
Plus, there's the whole Seattle thing.
Carroll was, perhaps, public enemy No. 1 in 49ers fans' minds during the heyday years of the Niners-Hawks rivalry, joined only by quarterback Russell Wilson and cornerback Richard Sherman, the latter being a turncoat in his own right, of course.
While Sherman ultiendeared himself to San Francisco's fanbase, asking the same of Carroll is a taller order.
Except for those 49ers fans who love chewing gum.