49ers Hit With Disastrous Coaching News on Robert Saleh

The hits keep coming for the San Francisco 49ers in 2025 as they try to lure Robert Saleh back to the Bay Area. Initially, re-hiring Saleh looked like a sure thing. He interviewed shortly after the season ended, indicating mutual interest. However, the feeling of optimism is quickly fading as Saleh continues to make his rounds on the head coaching market. He first met with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then, the Las Vegas Raiders requested an interview. Shortly after the Dallas Cowboys parted ways with Mike McCarthy, Saleh became one of their top targets.

While Saleh was never listed as a favorite to land in Vegas or Dallas, the Jaguars remained a strong candidate for his services. Saleh was announced to be one of three known candidates Jacksonville wanted to interview again. Yet, a report by Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud indicated the Buccaneers were preparing for offensive coordinator Liam Coen to accept the Jaguars coaching job.

The news was met with delight from 49ers fans, who believed that re-hiring Saleh would be the slam dunk move of the coaching cycle. Unfortunately, on Wednesday, everything changed.

49ers Met With Disastrous News

Ahead of his scheduled second meeting with the Jaguars, Coen opted out. Instead, he took himself out of the running and accepted a new contract with the Buccaneers, making him amongst the highest-paid coordinators in the NFL, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The news is astonishing, but what it means for Saleh should have the 49ers worried. Coen choosing not to take the Jaguars’ head coaching gig now puts Saleh in the driver’s seat, and things are heating up quickly.