The New York Jets have signed Robert Saleh as their new head coach. The 41-year-old was last active as a defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers and succeeds Adam Gase.
Saleh has been considered one of the top candidates on the market for weeks. On Tuesday, the Jets invited him for a second interview, shortly afterwards the offer of the contract and the agreement between the two sides followed.
According to information from ESPN Saleh signs a five-year contract with the Jets. In addition, reporter Adam Schefter reports that Mike LaFleur will most likely become Saleh’s offensive coordinator in New York. LaFleur is the brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur and most recently worked as a passing game coordinator for the 49ers.
Saleh, who has Lebanese ancestry, will become the fourth non-white head coach in the NFL after Brian Flores, Mike Tomlin and Ron Rivera. By signing the Jets, the 49ers received two third-round picks as compensation from the NFL. This rule, which is intended to encourage more training for non-white coaches, only came into force last year.
NFL: New York Jets with two first-round picks
The New York Jets had finished last season with a 2-14 record and clearly missed the playoffs. Head Coach Gase was sacked immediately after the team’s last game of the season.
New York has two first-round picks in the upcoming draft, including the 2nd pick of the draft. In addition, Gang Green has the second most cap space of all teams in this offseason. Saleh is to build a new team for the Jets together with General Manager Joe Douglas.
– .
