The San Francisco 49ers’ 2025 season is over after their 41-6 divisional-round loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Jan. 17. Moreover, on Jan. 18, news emerged about the future of the team’s defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, as changes could be coming to the Niners’ coaching staff.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the Tennessee Titans have narrowed their head coaching candidate to three names: Saleh, Matt Nagy, and Jeff Hafley.
Moreover, The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini shared that Saleh was expected to do a Zoom with the Titans on the night of Jan. 18. Still, the organization collected enough information to move forward with an in-person on Jan. 19.
For Saleh, he will be looking for a second opportunity as a head coach after serving as the New York Jets head coach from 2021 to 2024. If the 49ers’ defensive coordinator does get the Titans’ job, he will have a young QB to help develop in Cam Ward.
As a result, Saleh’s top priority, as a defensive coach, will be to have offensive coaches who can continue Ward’s development in the NFL and help it progress in a positive direction.
49ers Could Also Lose Jauan Jennings This Offseason
Saleh isn’t the only person in the Niners organization with an uncertain future and could explore other opportunities this offseason. 49ers’ Jauan Jennings is a free agent and can test the open market in mid-March.
Ahead of free agency opening up in a few weeks after the Super Bowl, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco shared the latest regarding Jennings’ future with the 49ers.
“[The 49ers’] top free agent is Jauan Jennings, but there’s no guarantee that Jauan Jennings will be back on the team after the sides could not come to a contract resolution on a long‑term extension before the season,” Maiocco said on his YouTube channel on Jan. 18.
“You know, the numbers that I heard that Jauan Jennings and his representation were asking for—I don’t fault the 49ers, and I can see why there wasn’t a long‑term extension signed.
“So now that he is in line to hit the open market in mid‑March, the team can have an idea of what other teams value him, and then the 49ers can play off of that. Now that didn’t work out so well with Dre Greenlaw… But Jennings is definitely somebody the 49ers would like to have back.”
49ers’ Coaches Had a Challenging Night Against Seattle
Saleh and the rest of the 49ers’ coaching staff had a rough game against the Seahawks. While they were able to overcome key injuries to star players, they couldn’t get the Niners team to the NFC title game.
After the 49ers’ loss to Seattle, head coach Kyle Shanahan shared his thoughts on the team’s overall performance.
“I thought no one played perfect,” Shanahan said postgame. “No one played great today. No one coached great today. They got us pretty good. But I thought Brock made a number of plays out there. But on the second half, I got away from all of us.”
If Saleh does get the Titans’ head coach job, Shanahan will have to do his homework to replace him on his coaching staff for the 2026 season.
Insiders Drop Huge News on 49ers DC Robert Saleh’s Future