With NFL teams all across the league making coaching changes, there is going to be plenty of speculation that San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will be on the move this offseason.
There are plenty of open head coach jobs, and Saleh's name has been thrown out there as a potential candidate basically all season. San Francisco's defense has slowly fallen apart due to injuries, but Saleh still deserves a lot of credit for what he has done with defense, given all of the adversity it has faced.
There has been a lot of speculation as to whether Saleh would leave or stay, and we may have just gotten a hint as to his intentions as he has hired a new agency, Wasserman Football, to represent him.
That does not necessarily mean he will become a head coach of another team. Obviously, another team has to want him, but it seems that Saleh is definitely interested in exploring his options.
There are some interesting openings that Saleh would probably be interested in. The Atlanta Falcons let go of Raheem Morris after going 8-9 this season, and they are clearly not far off from being able to win a paltry NFC South as they were tied for first with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers.
Maybe Saleh would like being head coach of the Tennessee Titans just so he could go against Liam Coen twice a year, which would certainly be entertaining after their dust-up earlier this season.
Other openings could come up, so we will see as the offseason unfolds where Saleh interviews and if he ultimately does end up with another team.
After the less than ideal experience he had with the New York Jets in his first stint as a head coach, he may choose to be a bit more patient this time around. He likely does not want to go into another dumpster fire where he is set up for failure, but it is also true that you can go from being a prime candidate one offseason to an afterthought next offseason, so it may be best to take an opportunity if it comes.
If he does depart, the 49ers will have to figure out how to replace him. They seem to be grooming Gus Bradley as an internal replacement, but some other interesting names will be out there as well.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan is certainly hoping he does not have to find another coordinator, but Saleh's latest agency switch suggests he may have to get yet another defensive play-caller.