A
nother NFL season has come and gone and once again, the San Francisco 49ers will go into the offseason in search of a new defensive coordinator. Robert Saleh took the head coaching job for the Tennessee Titans, departing after just one season into his second stint with the 49ers. While the 49ers defense struggled at times, Saleh still helped guide the team to a 12-5 finish and a spot in the playoffs after a one year absence– despite dealing with a slew of injuries to key stars such as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams.
But with Saleh gone, the 49ers will need to make sure that they get this next hire right to keep the high standards of the defense the same. And less than 24 hours after Saleh’s departure, there is already a leading candidate to take over his job as the defensive coordinator– assistant head coach, Gus Bradley.
Could Bradley Get the Job?
Bradley has been a coach in the NFL since 2006, rising to prominence as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks from 2009-12. Also serving as a head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars and defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts, Bradley is an established veteran coach in the NFL and has experience leading a defense– something the 49ers need. And already serving on staff for a season, helping immensely with defensive game planning, promoting Bradley is the safest thing to do.
“Gus Bradley is the top choice to replace Saleh as DC — that’s essentially what he was brought in for this season,” SF Standard’s Tim Kawakami said.
When the 49ers brought Saleh back ahead of the ’25 season, the expectation was for him to take a head coaching job and leave in 2026– especially since he received head coaching interviews after the New York Jets fired him. That is a big reason why Shanahan hired Bradley– so that he could prepare to take over as the defensive coordinator in the event Saleh left. Still, the 49ers will go through the interview process before making a formal decision.
Bradley’s NFL Coaching Career
After being the driving force behind the development of the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom defense, Bradley became the Jaguars head coach ahead of the 2013 season. But after three straight losing seasons and a 2-12 start in 2026, Bradley was fired and returned to being a defensive coordinator. Hired by the Chargers ahead of the 2017 season, Bradley saw success as the Chargers’ defensive play caller, helping the team be ranked in the top half of the league defensively.
After his contract with the Chargers expired, Bradley took the job as the Raiders’ defensive coordinator where in his lone season, he helped guide the franchise to their most recent playoff appearance. Following a season in Las Vegas, Bradley spent three seasons as the Colts’ defensive coordinator.
Leading Candidate to be New 49ers Defensive Coordinator Revealed