Is Robert Saleh a Lock to Leave the 49ers after the 2020 Season?

Saleh is the best defensive coordinator in a league obsessed with offense.

The San Francisco 49ers' coaching staff is littered with several assistants who could become head coaches in the NFL one day. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur and run game coordinator Mike McDaniel all have sparked interest around the league after the 49ers' transcendent 2019 season.

More specifically, Saleh drew interest from NFL and college programs. He turned down an interview for the head-coaching job at Michigan State despite being an assistant for the Spartans in 2002 and 2003.

Saleh became one of the top candidates for the Cleveland Browns head-coaching vacancy, but ultimately their front office decided to hire an offensive-minded coach, former Vikings' offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

After Saleh was labeled a potential head coach during last season's hiring cycle, Saleh is greatly suited to land a promotion after the 2020 season. He led the 49ers to being the league's second-best defensive unit. Plus, if you factor in another season in 2020 when they're projected to win double-digit games, his name should be a popular one come late January and early February. 

When good teams win, they often lose their assistants. That's likely to be the case here for the 49ers. 

But one element that may hold teams back from hiring Saleh is that he coaches defense. Today's NFL is such a pass-heavy league that hiring someone who won't call plays for the offense could be alarming to some front offices — particularly those with young quarterbacks.

However, here's good news for Saleh: Once he's hired as a head coach, he already will have a tight-knit group of offensive coaches he potentially could hire. LaFleur and McDaniel, who he's currently working alongside in San Francisco, would likely rank as Saleh's top options to take upon the offensive play-calling duties. 

The two of them both have specific roles carved out in the play-calling, but don't get it twisted. The 49ers offense is Kyle Shanahan's baby. Even if LaFleur or McDaniel don't get head-coaching offers this year, taking an offensive-coordinator job under Saleh would be a huge stepping stone to propel their careers moving forward.

It's difficult to judge which teams will have a vacancy this far in advance, but the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars both appear to be potential landing spots for Saleh. Both franchises nearly replaced their head coaches after the 2019 season, and each team has a rich history of hiring defensive-minded coaches.

This will be the determining factor for Saleh: Does any of the hiring teams want to go defense when the vast majority of the NFL is centered around offense? If so, then Saleh arguably is the best defensive head-coaching candidate, and next season likely will be his final go-around on the 49ers sideline.