The San Francisco 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan, is going through an interesting season. They have nine wins after 14 weeks, and the key reason is the defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh. The former New York Jets head coach might target the same position again in 2026, but Shanahan doesn’t want that to happen.

“I hope for us he’s not a head coach next year. But I also know that when you have the talent that someone like Robert does, it’s only a matter of time,” the head coach said in a light-hearted manner on December 12.

However, his words carry immense meaning. Right now, there are two head coaching jobs available in the league. The New York Giants fired Brian Daboll after ten weeks, while the Tennessee Titans got rid of Brian Callahan after six weeks. The opportunities could increase in the offseason as many teams might be looking for a new head coach.

Robert Saleh also expressed his interest in the head coaching gig during The Exhibit podcast with Josina Anderson. He said that everyone in the league wanted to reach the top of their profession. However, Kyle Shanahan also had a sigh of relief when Saleh declared that his focus is on the Niners first, who will host Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California.

That’s what Shanahan wants. He doesn’t want Saleh to be distracted as important games line up. In more than three seasons with the Jets, the 49ers coordinator had a 20-36 record. But NFL teams didn’t count it as his failure and offered a prospective head coach job early in the season.

Robert Saleh reveals the head coaching offer

Shanahan and Saleh go a long way back. They were together at the Niners before he went to New York. So, the head coach knows about the Las Vegas Raiders offer that Saleh got.

“Robert had a lot of opportunities to be the coordinator. I think that (Raiders) was definitely one of them. So just talking through that whole thing, and he got close to a couple head coach jobs in the time, too,” Shanahan said.

The Las Vegas Raiders were looking for a head coach after the 2024 season and viewed Saleh as the perfect choice. They planned to sign him up as a coordinator and then promote him to the head coach position. But Robert Saleh turned it down. Clearly, he wanted to cool down after the New York disaster.

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Also, the Raiders have a troubled history with their coaches. Since 2002, owner Mark Davis has chosen 12 different head coaches for the struggling franchise. Even this year, they fired the offensive coordinator Chip Kelly after a streak of losses. These options have forced Robert Saleh to stay put in the Bay.

However, if more choices open up, there could be a change. Until then, everyone is interested in his show at the Niners.