When Robert Saleh left the San Francisco 49ers for the Tennessee Titans’ head coaching job this past January, Kyle Shanahan drew a clear line around one member of his defensive staff. K.J. Wright, San Francisco’s defensive quality control coach from 2024 and 2025, wasn’t going with him.
“It was an understanding from the beginning,” Saleh told ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “Off limits.”
Shanahan wanted to keep Wright, who turns 37 this month, for two reasons: He wanted to promote him to linebackers coach in 2026 and had a good feeling he’d become a top assistant for San Francisco this season and, ideally, beyond.
“He’s going to be a coordinator really quick,” Saleh said. “I could see him easily progressing the way DeMeco [Ryans] did. He’s got the same mindset. He’s got the same respect from his players. K.J.’s going to be really good.”
Wright’s coaching arc has mirrored Ryans’ in more than one way. Both spent lengthy playing careers at linebacker before transitioning to coaching almost immediately, and both moved from quality control to a linebackers coach role within a couple of seasons. Ryans eventually rode that path from the 49ers’ defensive coordinator chair to a head coaching job for the Houston Texans.
Wright, for his part, isn’t ready to lean into the comparison. Wright made clear his focus stays fixed on the job in front of him rather than any long-range projection tied to Ryans’ rise.
“I do want to be a really good linebackers coach, and I do know I want to be a defensive coordinator,” Wright said. “I for sure know that. And so I’m working toward that. And we’ll see. We’ll see once it gets past that point. Ask me again once I become defensive coordinator.”
For now, Shanahan’s plan keeps Wright developing inside the building. Whether Wright’s path continues in San Francisco after this season remains to be seen, but the 49ers made sure Saleh couldn’t take a shot at finding out first.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: One 49ers coach was off limits to Robert Saleh when he left for Titans
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Niners Wire | USA TODAY Network
