GANG GOLD!
Jets think they’ve struck it rich by tabbing Niners DC Saleh as new coach
a brutal run of injuries, getting just five games combined out of Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas and Dee Ford.
Smith, a longtime Titans assistant who took over as offensive coordinator in 2019, has used a play action-heavy scheme to resurrect quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who appeared left for dead after three years with Adam Gase in Miami.
Tannehill, Derrick Henry and receiver A.J. Brown have become stars in Smith’s scheme. Henry led the NFL in rushing yards each of the last two years, while Tannehill, improbably, has been one of the best QBs in the league by nearly any metric since leaving Gase.
That success with Tannehill has made Smith a scorching-hot candidate on the market, and the Jets might not be able to pin him down. The other six teams with an opening (Chargers, Eagles, Falcons, Lions, Texans, Jaguars) all requested interviews with Smith, and he’s making the rounds. At least two other teams — the Falcons and Lions — took Smith to a second round, and he’s scheduled to interview with the Eagles this week, according to multiple reports.
Seven other candidates are known to have done a first and virtual interview with the Jets. They are longtime Bengals coach Marvin Lewis (currently the
The Jets let Robert Saleh out of the building, but they didn’t let him get far.
The San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator agreed in principle on Thursday night to become the 20th head coach in Jets franchise history, just one day after completing his in-person, second interview at the team’s facility in Florham Park.
“The @nyjets got a great one!” Niners corner Richard Sherman tweeted.
Saleh, 41, had left the Jets Wednesday afternoon and promptly flown to Florida to interview with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, making Philadelphia the sixth team to interview Saleh for the seven open jobs.
The Jets, meanwhile, completed a second, in-person interview on Thursday with Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith at One Jets Drive, as well.
But as league chatter increasingly connected Smith to the Atlanta Falcons’ vacancy on Thursday afternoon, the Jets moved to lock up Saleh to a reported five-year contract, per ESPN.
Saleh is seen as more than just a defensive coach. He has a reputation as a leader who can command a room, and the Jets believe he can command a team.
Saleh now will pair with Jets GM Joe Douglas in an effort to rebuild and turn around a long-suffering franchise that is coming off an abysmal 2-14 season, which led to the firing of head coach Adam Gase.
Their major task in their first offseason will be their coinciding decisions on quarterback Sam Darnold and on how to use their No. 2 overall draft pick.
It is widely expected that Saleh will bring San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur with him to be the Jets’ new offensive coordinator. LaFleur is the younger brother of Green
Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
Darnold was a draft choice of former Jets GM Mike Maccagnan. The new brass has an opportunity to select their own guy if they choose, with Ohio State’s Justin Fields and BYU’s Zach Wilson high on early draft boards.
Saleh ended up interviewing with the Falcons, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jets and Eagles.
Before the coaching search, the Dearborn, Mich., product was considered a favorite to land in Detroit. But the former Northern Michigan University tight end is now headed to the East Coast.
Saleh ran the 49ers’ defense for the past four seasons under head coach Kyle Shanahan, reaching last year’s Super Bowl and narrowly losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.
That 2019 season, his unit finished second overall in total defense and first in pass defense. The Niners’ 169.2 pass yards allowed per game that season were the best since Rex Ryan’s Jets allowed 153.7 per game in 2009.
This past season, however, Saleh arguably did an even more impressive job after losing major contributors such as Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Solomon Thomas and Sherman to injury.
Without those players, Saleh’s defense still finished in the top 10 in total yards (fifth), rush yards allowed (seventh) and pass yards (fourth).
He worked for the Houston Texans from 200510, working his way up to assistant linebackers coach before jumping to the Seattle Seahawks as a defensive quality control coach from 2011-13.
Saleh then coached the Jacksonville Jaguars’ linebackers from 2014-16 before taking over Shanahan’s defense in San Fran in 2017.
He has a strong personality and commands respect from his players. That was his reputation in San Francisco, and that’s what the Jets believe they are getting above all: A new leader.