Robert Saleh gets to square off against a former employer (no, not that one) if one particular 49ers schedule rumor turns out to be true.
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh would be forgiven for having plenty of axes to grind.
The biggest, without doubt, would be against his most recent ex-employer, the New York Jets, who dismissed him from head-coaching duties halfway through the 2024 season despite him clearly being the individual who held that drifting soon-to-be shipwreck together.
The Jets aren't among the teams the Niners face on their 2025 regular-season schedule, so Saleh won't have a chance to "stick it" to his former employer.
Saleh will, however, get to do so against another, the Jacksonville Jaguars, in what's shaping up to be an early season game on the docket of contests San Francisco has.
49ers rumored to host Jaguars in Week 4
One schedule rumor from the Twitter/X user, @E_Dilla, broke down the Jags' full 2025 schedule. Sure, a Twitter user isn't exactly a great source unless he or she is a reliable outlet. But, Niners Nation's Kyle Posey backed up the claim, saying how that user is very plugged into everything Jacksonville.
So, while nothing is official just yet, there seems to be a good chance the 49ers end up hosting the Jaguars in Week 4.
Prior to becoming the Niners' defensive coordinator (during his first go-around), Saleh was the Jags' linebackers coach from 2014 through 2016. The offseason after New York fired him, Saleh was on the shortlist of Jacksonville head-coaching candidates, although the Jaguars ultimately opted to bring aboard former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen instead, thereby leaving Saleh to reunite with San Francisco.
The Jags' eventful offseason, which included bringing aboard Coen and then trading up for Colorado NFL Draft superstar Travis Hunter, now segways into a (possible) Week 4 showdown against a former employee in Saleh.
We've known Jacksonville to be one of the 49ers' opponents in 2025, but we didn't know when the game would take place.
Assuming the rumor is correct, fans can at least be treated to the "mini" grudge match early.
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