Dearborn native rejoins 49ers as defensive coordinator

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 19: Head Coach Robert Saleh of the New York Jets follows the action in the game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 19, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (P
Dearborn native, and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is returning to San Francisco as the defensive coordinator, a job he previously held from 2017-2020, a stint that included a trip to the Super Bowl.
This season, after being let go by the Jets, Saleh joined the Green Bay Packers as an "offensive consultant" for the last part of the year.
Saleh was the first Muslim head coach in NFL history.
Saleh, a 1997 Fordson High School graduate, spent more than three seasons as the Jets head coach. That was his first head coaching job at any level.
He has coached in the NFL for 23 years and spent the four seasons as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers before taking the Jets job.
Prior to his stint in San Francisco, Saleh had several stops in the NFL and NCAA ranks.
It was at MSU where Saleh began his football coaching career, as an offensive assistant for the Spartans in 2002 and a year later, moved to defense.
He went on to serve as a defensive assistant at both Central Michigan University and the University of Georgia and then broke into the NFL as an intern with the Houston Texans.
Saleh ultimately stayed in Houston through the 2010 season, working as a defensive assistant and later as an assistant linebackers coach.
In 2011, Seattle hired him as a defensive quality control assistant, and he was with the Seahawks for their Super Bowl victory in February 2014.
He took over as linebackers coach in Jacksonville in 2014 and remained with the Jaguars until moving to San Francisco in 2017.
In his playing days, Saleh earned several personal accolades at Fordson as a tight end and defensive tackle. The Tractors never finished worse than 6-3 during his time with the squad.