Robert Saleh is the new head coach of the Jets. Per twitter.
The
New York Jets, coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history, have reached an agreement in principle with
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to be their next head coach, the team announced Thursday night.
The agreement is for five years, leagues sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Saleh, 41, who interviewed virtually last Friday, quickly established himself as the Jets' front-runner. On Tuesday, he flew to New Jersey for a second interview. On Thursday, the Jets concluded a second interview with
Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. At that point, the Jets held internal discussions and decided to make an offer to Saleh, a source said.
There was plenty of competition for Saleh, who received interview requests from six of the seven teams in the NFL head-coaching market.
Saleh is expected to take 49ers passing-game coordinator Mike LaFleur -- the brother of
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur -- with him as his offensive coordinator, sources told Schefter.
Saleh, who is Lebanese American, will join Brian Flores of the
Miami Dolphins, Mike Tomlin of the
Pittsburgh Steelers and Ron Rivera of the
Washington Football Team as active minority head coaches in the league. The 49ers will receive two third-round compensatory draft picks as part of the NFL's new hiring initiatives to incentivize an expansion of the candidate pool.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30714551/new-york-jets-hiring-robert-saleh-coach-sources-say
