Jets Defensive Coordinator Had Interest In 49ers Job?
Jeff Ulbrich has been one of the main reasons the New York Jets defense has gone from being one of the worst units in football to among the most respected.
Since 2021, New York has improved from having the worst defense in the league to a top-five finish in each of the last two seasons. That kind of production would be enough to make any contending team look at the team's coaching staff for answers to their defensive problems.
© Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
That doesn't mean the Jets have to allow their assistants to answer the calls.
According to Zack Rosenblatt of the Athletic, Ulbrich and the 49ers had a "mutual interest" for the former linebacker to become the team's defensive coordinator. New York, swiftly blocked any potential talks of that happening going into the 2024 season.
Rosenblatt detailed that while the 49ers did not officially request an interview with the Jets defensive coordinator, interest was there but New York would have required draft compensation to allow a move to happen.
Ulbrich played 10 seasons with San Francisco as a linebacker before going into coaching. He was with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan when both were in Atlants helping the Falcons reach Super Bowl LI. Ulbrich joined Robert Saleh's staff in New York after five years with the Falcons and being promoted to defensive coordinator under interim head coach Raheem Morris.
The news that Ulbrich would be interested in leaving New York for San Francisco is not a surprise. Both Saleh and DeMeco Ryans were defensive coordinators there and received head coaching jobs. Ulbrich has said before that he would want to be a head coach someday despite the lack of interviews for the role.
While there are several ways one could look at the Jets essentially blocking Ulbrich from a coordinator job, the organization has already lost seven different assistant coaches this offseason - all of them coming on the offensive side. Major changes were expected to come for an offense that was among the worst in the game last year, but it's still important to note that the Jets believe themselves to be contenders in 2024.
Starting from scratch with a new defensive play-caller wouldn't be good for the chemistry of a vaunted defense or help maintain control over a fanbase that is already seeing coaching changes as rats fleeing a sinking ship.
New York did what they had to do with Ulbrich in regards to a lateral move elsewhere. What happens after 2024, especially if New York cannot succeed under the current coaching regime, will impact where Ulbrich ends up next season anyway.
