The New York Jets have a principle agreement to hire Robert Saleh as their next head coach, the team announced Thursday night.
Saleh, the former defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, will replace Adam Gase, who was fired after a 2-14 season with New York. Saleh is Jets’ fourth coach since 2009 and 20th in the franchise’s history. He is considered the first Muslim coach in NFL history.
Saleh was also interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles’ job after the organization fired Doug Pederson on Monday. New York also interviewed Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith on Thursday. Smith left without a deal and it was then that the Jets moved to Saleh.
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The 41-year-old is the son of Lebanese parents and the second minority coach to achieve a head coach position in the franchise, after Todd Bowles in 2015. He will be the fourth active minority coach alongside Ron Rivera, from Washington, the Dolphins’ Brian Flores and Mike Tomlin of the Steelers.
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He has spent the past four seasons with the 49ers. His defense came in second in the league last season and made an appearance in the Super Bowl before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. San Francisco suffered a series of injuries on the defensive side of football this season and did not play as well.
There will be many questions surrounding the Jets this off-season, including what to do with Sam Darnold. New York has choice # 2 in the next draft and the smart choice seems to be the quarterback. But all of this will depend on what comes in Darnold.
New York also has 20 unrestricted free agents to meet and make decisions.
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It will be Saleh’s first position as head coach at any level. He started in the NFL in 2005 as a defense assistant for the Houston Texans.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.