NFL Rumors: Analyzing Latest on Deion Sanders and Robert Saleh
The head coaching carousel in the NFL grabs as many headlines as the winners of playoff games at this time of the year, with those organizations not lucky enough to be in the postseason looking to make the necessary adjustments to get there.
The New England Patriots have their guy after turning to one of the cornerstones of their dynasty in the 2000s in Mike Vrabel, while the San Francisco 49ers could be turning back the clock, eyeing a familiar face for their defensive coordinator position.
Then there are the Las Vegas Raiders, desperately in need of a culture change, with the flashiest coach at any level of football reportedly interested in joining the organization.
Dive deeper into each of those topics with these insider reports from around the NFL rumor mill.
Deion Sanders Has Interest in Las Vegas
Might it be Primetime in Las Vegas?
Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Colorado football coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders "has his eyes on the Raiders' coaching job, according to a person with knowledge of the situation."
Bonsignore's source indicated "strong interest" in the position, and Sanders' NFL-connected associates have contacted the organization to express this interest.
A 4-13 record doomed fellow player-turned-coach Antonio Pierce as he was fired Tuesday after one season at the helm. The team has already interviewed Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
The organization also needs a new general manager after they relieved Tom Telesco of his duties this week as Tom Brady, part of the organization's new ownership group, allows his influence to spread.
Brady's presence makes the Raiders' job more appealing to coaching candidates. A seven-time Super Bowl champion and arguably the greatest quarterback ever, he knows what it takes to win and coaches will gravitate to a team that he has any role in overseeing.
That includes Sanders.
That the team needs a quarterback and has a top-six pick, with the potential to trade up to select his son, Shadeur, makes that coaching vacancy that much more desirable.
Sanders reshaped both the Jackson State and Colorado football programs as head coach and in 2024, saw star wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter win the Heisman Trophy. He has the tools to be an effective head coach but it will be interesting to see if that translates to the NFL, where many a successful college coach have tried and failed to advance their careers.
Sanders, though, has played in the league and knows what it takes to win having captured two Super Bowl titles in his career.
Robert Saleh Returning to San Francisco?
Robert Saleh rose to prominence in the NFL as the defense coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers and may be headed back to the organization to resume that role.
NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that the team is expected to offer Saleh his former position. Saleh is also slated for head coaching interviews, with the Jacksonville Jaguars among the teams looking to talk to him.
Saleh is a strong choice for the Niners, if for no other reason than he has demonstrated an ability to field a top-10 defense in the Bay Area before. He knows the core players, such as Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, and how to utilize them in a way that nets the best results.
He led that defensive unit to NFC Championship games and had them in the Super Bowl, so he is aware of the expectations that will come with him potentially heading back to the organization with which he garnered his first round of head coaching interest.
The question, at least for the 49ers, is how long Kyle Shanahan and crew can possibly expect him to stick around.
If he heads west and rejuvenates San Francisco's defense, it will be only a matter of time before teams come calling for him to take another head coaching gig. His stint with the Jets did not go the way many expected but as we found out, the issues with that organization may exist well above the head coach.
Is that a scenario the 49ers want to find themselves in again?
If Anderson's report proves to be correct, the answer is a resounding "yes," especially after a season in which the defensive unit was not the strongpoint it had been for the team in recent years.