Robert Saleh could find his way back to New York.
With the Giants’ head coaching job among those currently open, the ex-Jets coach is likely to garner some interest — at least according to one NFL insider.
“I think Saleh is at least going to elicit interest, and may well land a job,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote in his mailbag this week. “He’ll interview well, he’s very close with a lot of the (Kyle) Shanahan-(Sean) McVay tree offensive coaches (so finding a good OC won’t be a chore), and he’ll be able to energize a franchise that’s fallen on hard times.
“I could see the Titans or the Giants taking a long look at him, paired potentially with a Mike McDaniel (if he doesn’t make it in Miami) or Mike LaFleur to run the offense.”
Saleh was famously fired by Jets owner Woody Johnson following a loss to the Vikings in London that dropped the 2024 squad to 2-3.
He’s reinvigorated his career in a return to the 49ers as their defensive coordinator, fielding a defense that’s helped keep the injury-ravaged team competitive.
The scars of his time with Gang Green, during which he posted a 20-36 record, are still healing, though.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t difficult,” Saleh told noti.group’s Mark Cannizzaro ahead of San Francisco’s Week 9 win over the Giants at MetLife Stadium. “Of course it was difficult because you always want a chance to compete to the very end. But you’ve got to pick up and get yourself off the grass as quickly as possible and move on.
“I have confidence in myself and the people I’m surrounded by. I don’t feel like I have to prove anything. I’m just going to go out and do the best I can, and hopefully the results are good.”
The Giants fired Brian Dabolll after a 2-8 start to the season, while the Titans canned Brian Callahan in October.
Those franchises could offer Saleh what the Jets never could is a potential franchise quarterback, something Tennessee hopes it has in No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward and Big Blue is seeing emerge in Jaxson Dart.
Dart, the No. 25 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, certainly caught the former head coach’s eye.
“Man, they hit the jackpot on this kid. The jackpot,” Saleh told The Post. “He just has a Mahomes-esque quality. I’m just telling you, he is freaking good.”
Good enough to lure him back to town? Time will tell.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
