Jets Complete Interview With Another Highly Sought-After Head Coaching Candidate

The New York Jets interviewed San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for their head coach vacancy. Several teams are interested in hiring Saleh

The New York Jets interviewed 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for their head coaching vacancy on Friday, the team announced. 

Saleh is one of the most sought-after candidates of this offseason's head coaching cycle for good reason. The 41-year-old has 16 years of coaching experience in the NFL. He's worked as the defensive coordinator in San Francisco for the last four seasons, taking what was once a pedestrian defensive unit to one of the best in the game. 

The 49ers' defense allowed 406.4 yards per game in 2016, the year before Saleh took over, which was the worst in all of football. This year, San Francisco had the fifth ranked defense in the NFL (allowing just 314.4 yards per game) and was fourth in the league in limiting passing yards per game (207.9).

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Let's not forget what his defense did last year. With the second-best defense in football, the 49ers made it all the way to the Super Bowl. San Francisco led the league in passing yards allowed per game (169.2), the lowest mark by a team in a single season since the Jets in 2009 (153.7).

Before his time in the Bay Area, Saleh bounced around with a few different teams. He got his first gig in the NFL with the Texans in 2005, working his way up becoming Houston's assistant linebackers coach years later. From there, he was hired by the Seattle Seahawks to work as their defensive quality control coach for three years before serving as the Jacksonville Jaguars' linebackers coach for another three seasons.

In addition to Saleh, New York has already interviewed veteran head coach Marvin Lewis as well as Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. 

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Notice a trend there? New York isn't limiting its head coaching search to one side of the ball. As CEO Christopher Johnson depicted earlier this week, the Jets will conduct a "broad and deep" search, finding an individual capable of serving as "a coach for the entire team."

Saleh may not have any head coaching experience, but based on the interest he's drawn from various different teams, it's clear he's ready for his first opportunity to lead a team. His experience working with Pete Carroll and Kyle Shanahan certainly can't hurt as well.

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