San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is headed to the New York Jets. He's taking 49ers assistant coach Mike LaFleur with him to be his offensive coordinator. That's a significant loss for head coach Kyle Shanahan.
There are a couple of silver linings for the 49ers. One, Shanahan feels the team has Saleh's replacement in place. Reports state that the team plans to promote linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans to replace Saleh as defensive coordinator. Ryans is a well-respected coach inside the building.
"You've got to be able to be a teacher more than anything if you want to be a great coach," star linebacker Fred Warner said last month of Ryans. "He's an amazing teacher. I've learned so much from him and continue to learn so much, and I think that's the key to being a great coach is the teaching part of it. I know with whatever happens with his coaching career, he'll be amazing at whatever he does."
As reported earlier, the other silver lining is that the 49ers will receive two compensatory third-round picks in each of the next two drafts (2021, 2022) as part of the NFL's minority-hiring program. They will come at the end of the round, after the other compensatory selections.
It may not end there, though. San Francisco could earn another third-round compensatory pick should VP of player personnel Martin Mayhew land the general manager job in Washington. He is scheduled to interview today or tomorrow and has experience in the role. Mayhew served as the Detroit Lions general manager from 2008 to 2015, helping the team reach the playoffs twice.
Mayhew has ties to Washington. Before becoming an NFL executive, he was a Super Bowl-winning (Super Bowl XXVI) cornerback with the team. Mayhew also played for the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mayhew has been with the 49ers since 2017 and was promoted to his current role in 2019.
Should Mayhew land the job in Washington, the extra compensatory pick would come in the third round of the 2023 draft. That would mean San Francisco would earn a third-round pick in each of the next three drafts thanks to this year's offseason exoduses.