The San Francisco 49ers welcomed back a familiar face, re-hiring Robert Saleh as their defensive coordinator. However, one former player who once thrived under Saleh’s leadership will have to watch from across the country as the reunion unfolds.

The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back Robert Saleh for a second stint as defensive coordinator after a failed tenure as head coach of the New York Jets.

Saleh, who was fired in October as the New York Jets head coach five games into his fourth season, generated interest on the head-coaching front and was seen as one of the frontrunners for the Jacksonville Jaguars job. He also interviewed with the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

Saleh had interviewed for three head coaching positions but had committed to head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch that, should be not get another head coaching job, he would return to San Francisco as defensive coordinator,

Robert Saleh and the 49ers were waiting for the former Jets head coach to be out of the mix for head coaching jobs before making his hire official.

Later on Thursday, then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen had a change of heart, the Jacksonville Jaguars quickly moved to hire him as head coach and Saleh, who told Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch that he’d return to the 49ers if he didn’t get a head-coaching job, stayed true to his promise.

There’s an interesting wrinkle to the San Francisco 49ers’ re-acquisition of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. While they’re gaining an experienced defensive coordinator with a strong track record, they may also gain another opportunity to secure a pair of third-round draft picks if he’s hired to be another team’s head coach.