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The New York Jets have an agreement in principle to hire Robert Saleh as their next head coach, the team announced Thursday night.
Saleh, the former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator, will replace Adam Gase, who was sacked after a 2-14 season with New York. Saleh is the fourth head coach of the Jets since 2009 and the 20th in franchise history. He is believed to be the first Muslim head coach in NFL history.
Saleh had also interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles post after the organization sacked Doug Pederson on Monday. New York also interviewed Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith earlier Thursday. Smith left with no deal made and that’s when the Jets moved to Saleh.
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The 41-year-old is the son of Lebanese parents and the second minority coach to secure a head coaching position in the franchise, after Todd Bowles in 2015. He will be the fourth active minority coach alongside Ron Washington Rivera, the Dolphins. Brian Flores and Mike Tomlin of the Steelers.
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He has spent the last four seasons with the 49ers. His defense was ranked No.2 in the league last season and made a Super Bowl appearance before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. San Francisco have suffered a number of injuries on the defensive side of football this season and haven’t performed as well.
There will be a lot of questions surrounding the Jets this offseason, including what to do with Sam Darnold. New York has the No.2 pick in the upcoming draft and the smart pick appears to be in the quarterback. But that will all depend on what they see in Darnold.
New York also has 20 unrestricted free agents to meet and make decisions.
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This will be Saleh’s first head coach position at any level. He made his NFL debut in 2005 as a defensive assistant with the Houston Texans.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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