Robert Saleh fired: 49ers' Kyle Shanahan thrown off, calls move 'pretty surprising'

The New York Jets firing of head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday shook the NFL world .

That includes a longtime coworker and friend of Saleh's in San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. The two coached together for six seasons: two years with the Houston Texans when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator and Saleh had roles as a defensive quality control coach and assistant linebackers coach (2008-09) plus four seasons where Saleh was Shanahan's 49ers defensive coordinator (2017-20). He cited the Jets being 2-3, just a game behind the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills (3-2), and his defense performing well at this early juncture in the 2024 season as reasons for feeling stunned.

"I sent him a text, but I haven't gotten to talk to him. And yeah, I was pretty shocked," Shanahan said at a press conference on Tuesday. "That stuff throws you off, especially when they're competing for first in the division this week and I think they're up there on defense and have got a pretty good team and a chance to have a hell of a year. So that was pretty surprising."

Shanahan is indeed correct: his former pupil had his side of the football thriving early on in 2024.

New York Jets defense this season

Now, Saleh could have his choice of jobs as an assistant for the rest of this season, or he could relax until 2025 where he will certainly have his pick of NFL defensive coordinator gigs.