Jets' $30,000,000 star sends 1-word message as ex-HC Robert Saleh lands on his feet with Kyle Shanahan's 49ers

It took a while but former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has finally landed on his feet. On Friday, the San Francisco 49ers finalized a deal to bring him back to the Bay Area by naming him their defensive coordinator. Saleh, of course, has a history with the San Francisco 49ers. He led their defense from 2017 to 2020 before leaving to coach the New York Jets.

Under Saleh, the Niners had one of the NFL's finest defenses when they drafted defensive end Nick Bosa in 2019 and implemented the “wide nine” scheme. The defense didn't look back from there but Saleh's talents drew the attention of Jets owner Woody Johnson, though Saleh's stint in New York didn't last all that long.

Jets star Sauce Gardner also took notice of the Niners' decision late on Friday night. Replying to a tweet breaking the news of Saleh's hire, Gardner tweeted:

"Sheeesh."

Saleh's defense in San Francisco had a touch of greatness to it but it remains to be seen if the Niners can retain their personnel to give Saleh a springboard to bump his stock in the years to come.

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Where New York Jets stand after replacing Robert Saleh

The Jets fired Saleh in the middle of the season, naming Jeff Ulbrich as the interim head coach. While they interviewed Ulbrich for the big job, they chose to go a different route, naming former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as their new head coach.

Glenn spent the first eight years of his playing career with the Jets and was one of the hottest names in the 2025 coaching carousel alongside his former colleague Ben Johnson, who landed the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears.

One of Glenn's primary decisions will be settling the curious case of Aaron Rodgers, who has one year left on the three-year, $112.5 million deal he signed with the franchise after being traded from the Jets. While Rodgers has made it clear he will take some time to consider his future, Glenn will have to sit down with whoever the Jets hire as their new general manager to sort the situation out.

Rodgers' cap hit stands at $23.5 million if he's on the roster for next season in addition to a $35 million option bonus on top of a $2.5 million base salary. However, Rodgers has made it clear he would be open to restructuring his contract to grease the wheels for next season.

Even if Rodgers is not on board, Glenn will have the talents of Sauce Gardner, who is signed through 2025 on a $33,450,798 deal. The Jets will have to begin negotiations around his contract for a deal that could potentially make him the highest-paid CB in the league. Glenn will also have a young core to work with, including names like Breece Hall, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Braelon Allen, Garrett Wilson and Will McDonald IV.