Kyle Shanahan on Robert Saleh’s firing: “It upsets you”

Robert Saleh used his time as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator to become the head coach of the Jets. After being fired on Tuesday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about his reaction to the news.

“I texted him, but I couldn’t talk to him,” Shanahan told reporters. “And yeah, I was pretty shocked. That’s a turn off, especially when they’re fighting for first place in the division this week and I think they’re at the top of their game defensively and they’re a pretty good team and have a chance to have a pretty damn good year. So that was pretty surprising.”

Defensively, the Jets performed very well. Not offensively. But that wasn’t Saleh’s domain. And he was about to assume the authority of Nathaniel Hackett, quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ friend.

The whole thing makes no sense other than the fact that it was the Jets who did it. And it won’t be a surprise if they make the playoffs with Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator.

However, it won’t be easy. The defense has lost the advantage of having both Saleh and Ulbrich, and Ulbrich will now be distracted by coaching responsibilities.

And while Saleh reportedly won’t coach elsewhere this year, he could return to the 49ers as defensive coordinator in 2025 — if Shanahan decides another move at that job is warranted.