49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has been considered the favorite to land the Detroit Lions head coaching job since the beginning of this search. However, it appears if Saleh is still their guy, they will have some serious competition to land him.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Saleh has scored a second interview with the New York Jets, making him a finalist for the job. This will be an in-person interview, as the Jets are reportedly flying him in on Tuesday. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo took things a step further, saying that he believes “it might be Jets or bust” for Saleh.
Though Saleh is the first finalist for the Jets job, Rapoport believes there will be others that get the in-person interview treatment. The Jets have a long list of candidates interviewed that includes Eric Bieniemy, Marvin Lewis, Brian Daboll, Arthur Smith, Matt Eberflus and Brandon Staley.
As for the Lions, they have yet to announce any second round of interviews for their coaching search. Their list of initial interviews currently includes Lewis, Bieniemy, Darrell Bevell, Saleh, and Dan Campbell. Arthur Smith and Todd Bowles are expected to interview on Tuesday.
Expect all of the coaching searches around the NFL to ramp up in the next week or so. To track everything that is going on around the NFL in this coaching cycle, be sure to check out our 2021 NFL Coaching Carousel tracker, which includes the latest news, rumors and interviews for all seven coaching vacancies right now.