The San Francisco 49ers knew it was going to happen sooner than later, and it ultimately took just one season for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to get another head-coaching gig.
A mere two days removed from being eliminated by the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs, multiple outlets reported Saleh was accepting an offer from the Tennessee Titans for their head-coaching vacancy, derailing any hopes the two-time Niners coordinator would hang around in the Bay Area for at least another season.
That means San Francisco will again be on the hunt for a new coordinator, the fifth time in as many years.
And while the 49ers may already have ideas for whom they'd like to bring into this role, there's a larger area of unpredictability entering the offseason, specifically whether or not Saleh steals away some of the players the Niners would rather retain.
San Francisco's list of pending free agents is long enough, and Saleh undoubtedly will comb over it to see if there are players he'd like to pluck away.
But one in particular is rather worrisome, at least from the 49ers' vantage point.
Robert Saleh would love to steal Jauan Jennings from 49ers
True, Saleh's mastery is on the defensive side of the ball. But the Titans' new coach certainly appreciated wide receiver Jauan Jennings' grit, physicality and prowess.
Jennings, who never received the extension from the Niners he sought last offseason, also didn't seem fully committed to staying with San Francisco this offseason either, and it'd be hard to blame him after last year's drama.
With a clear need for weapons to support second-year quarterback Cam Ward, Saleh shouldn't have too much of an issue asking Saleh to jump ship over to the AFC South.
Ideally, the 49ers would re-sign Jennings this offseason, particularly after the Brandon Aiyuk fiasco and with the realization fellow receiver Ricky Pearsall has had difficulty staying healthy.
But Saleh isn't worried about the Niners' issues anymore, and he'd have no problem taking Jennings with him as an experienced pass catcher to bolster Tennessee's offense.