San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan says he’s reached out to his former defensive coordinator and axed New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh after his sudden firing on Tuesday.
Saleh was shockingly and unceremoniously dumped from the Jets after going 20-36 across four seasons.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Shanahan says that he reached out to Saleh but hasn’t had the chance to speak with him in full.
‘I sent him a text, but haven’t gotten to talk to him,’ Shanahan told reporters. ‘I was pretty shocked.’
Shanahan added, ‘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, got a pretty good team and a chance to have a hell of a year. So, it was pretty surprising.’
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he reached out to fired Jets coach Robert Saleh
Saleh was fired after a disappointing 2-3 start to the season for the Jets
Saleh got the axe from atop the Jets’ perch in Florham Park on Tuesday after a 2-3 start to New York’s campaign.
According to reports, Saleh was ‘blindsided’ by the decision by team owner Woody Johnson.
Johnson said that he consulted with team general manager Joe Douglas prior to giving Saleh the boot, but said that the decision was his and his alone.
Saleh was shown the door two days after the Jets lost a 23-17 game against the Minnesota Vikings in London – in which the New York defense put up a strong second half.
The Jets defense may have been strong, but the offense has been lacking a spark – despite a healthy Aaron Rodgers.
Part of the blame lies at the feet of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett – with reports indicating that Saleh wanted to fire him just before he himself was canned.
Saleh was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers prior to taking the head coaching job in New York. He helped mold them into a strong unit and was part of the team’s run to Super Bowl LIV – where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.