A trio of defensive players could reunite with Robert Saleh and head to the 49ers.
Just like the San Francisco 49ers, the New York Jets also had a unfavorable 2024 NFL season. The two teams met on Monday Night Football in Week 1 posturing with playoff ambitions.
Neither team qualified for the postseason, though, and Gang Green head coach Robert Saleh was fired before season’s end as a scapegoat for New York’s plague of problems.
He now returns as the defensive coordinator for San Francisco for second term, reuniting with head coach Kyle Shanahan under whom Saleh served from 2017 through 2020.
Speaking of reunions, we saw former 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw switch coasts to join Saleh last offseason, heading over to the Jets after spending the first four years of his career in the Bay Area.
With the 49ers looking to improve their defense heading into 2025, these pending Jets free agents could opt to switch coasts, too, reuniting with Saleh in San Francisco.
1. Cornerback D.J. Reed
The Niners are already familiar with cornerback D.J. Reed, who entered the league after San Francisco selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
In his first two seasons, he missed just one game but was then waived/injured on the dawn of the 2020 season. The 49ers hoped Reed would clear waivers, but he then went on to play for the Seattle Seahawks where he recorded his first of two interceptions that year.
Reed joined the Jets in 2022. He joined rookie Sauce Gardner in their secondary, and despite not recording an interception in 2024, he still defended 11 passes last season.
Since leaving San Francisco, Reed has logged at least 62 total tackles or more each season. If the 28-year-old veteran is looking for a new home, and the 49ers could provide one.
With their own veteran corner, Charvarius Ward, expected to depart in free agency, Reed serves as an ample replacement. San Francisco’s defense saw a significant drop in its productivity in 2024 compared to the season before.
The 49ers are predicted to have slightly more than $46 million to spend in free agency. The coveted cornerback could command $10 million a season on the open market as he is expected to be seeking another multi-year deal.
Reed is surely one of the best options out there. Not only on the Jets roster but across the list of free agents altogether.
2. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw
Kinlaw never truly cut it as a first-round standout, but as a solid depth piece, he certainly fits the bill. And that’s how Saleh mostly used him in New York.
The former first-round pick of the 2020 draft was not able to stay healthy for the 49ers during his tenure. Between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Kinlaw only appeared in 10 games.
However, he hasn’t missed a game since.
Kinlaw’s only interception came during his rookie season when he returned the pick for a score. He had a career-high 40 total tackles last season for the Jets.
In 2024, Kinlaw signed a one-year deal with just below $7 million in guarantees. The defensive tackle could sign for slightly less than Reed with both being on the books at nearly $10 million a year, potentially.
3. Defensive end Haason Reddick
Star edge rusher Haason Reddick came to the Jets in hopes of making a deep playoff run with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, although the former’s tenure was marred by contractual standoffs and disagreements.
Reddick will turn 31 years old early next season. After four straight seasons with double-digit sack totals, he took down the opposing quarterback just once.
The Philadelphia Eagles traded Reddick to the Jets with one year remaining on his three-year contract. He was making an average of $15 million a season on that deal, and it’s likely he’ll want to command a final long-term contract at this stage of his career.
Or, possibly, he aims to showcase his talents on a one-year, prove-it kind of deal.
From 2020 to 2022, Riddick forced 13 fumbles. He also recorded at least 11 sacks in each of those three seasons.
If Reddick regains even 75 percent of his dominant form, he could rejuvenate San Francisco’s defense. Pressuring the other teams’ quarterbacks is something the 49ers weren’t as good at in 2024.
Considering he had a down year in 2024, the defensive end could come to play for Saleh and the 49ers at a discount, hopefully. After all, coming to play for a team that has played in two of the last four Super Bowls has a nice incentive that money can’t (always) buy.
