In hiring Gus Bradley, the 49ers have clear plans if and when Robert Saleh winds up getting hired elsewhere in the not-too-distant future.
On the Friday before Super Bowl 59, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the San Francisco 49ers were hiring former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley to assist with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
Bradley, a well-traveled coach and defensive coordinator, had stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, and most recently, the Indianapolis Colts before becoming available this offseason. And it’s important to note Bradley oversaw Saleh twice, both in Seattle and with the Jags when the latter was an up-and-comer in coaching ranks.
While Bradley’s efforts haven’t been quite as notable as they were back in the Pacific Northwest, he nevertheless is a mastermind of the scheme the Niners have tried to operate since head coach Kyle Shanahan first joined the organization back in 2017, naming Saleh as a first-time defensive coordinator that year.
Yes, that’s important. After back-to-back seasons in which San Francisco had something of a defensive identity crisis, hiring Bradley helps Shanahan by alleviating much of the oversight the head coach needed to provide for the defense, thereby allowing him to focus more on the offense.
Also important.
However, what’s more important is the potential line of succession if and when Saleh is called back to the head-coaching ranks.
49ers now have coordinator contingency plan with Gus Bradley hire
Saleh interviewed with three different teams for their head-coaching vacancies prior to returning to the Bay Area: the Jags, Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.
Despite being fired by the New York Jets as their head coach midway through 2024, Saleh remains a top candidate for another head-coaching vacancy, perhaps as early as 2026, which means the 49ers would be back to square one when it comes to filling the void again.
Not necessarily now.
Bradley provides both immediate experience and scheme understanding, having been one of the mainstays of the 4-3 Under, Cover 3 deployment made notable in Seattle under then-head coach Pete Carroll.
Related story: Fred Warner can’t hide his excitement about Robert Saleh’s return
Of note, current Niners linebackers coach K.J. Wright has been a name to watch, possibly following a similar pipeline as now-Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, who was a Saleh understudy and eventual coordinating heir when the latter left for New York in 2021.
But Wright just completed his first year of coaching in 2024, and it’d be premature to rush him into a coordinator job as early as 2026 if Saleh departs.
Bradley guards against that, allowing San Francisco to bring Wright along slowly as a protégé.
At the very least, should Saleh land a head-coaching gig in 2026, the 49ers have an experienced coordinator already in their ranks without having to take their sights of Wright as a future possibility.
