49ers hire Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator, AP source says

By Canadian Press on February 1, 2026.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris as their new defensive coordinator in hopes of finding a long-term solution to a revolving door at the spot.

A person familiar with the decision said Sunday that Morris will join the Niners to replace Robert Saleh, who left San Francisco to take over as head coach for the Tennessee Titans. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the hiring.

ESPN first reported the decision.

Morris had long been viewed as a strong potential candidate because of his success as a coordinator and his ties to San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan. Morris and Shanahan were on staffs together as assistants in Tampa in 2004-05, Washington in 2012-13 and Atlanta in 2015-16.

Shanahan had initially tried to get Morris on his original staff in San Francisco in 2017 only to be blocked by Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn and has long praised Morris’ ability as a defensive coach.

Morris was fired by Atlanta last month after back-to-back 8-9 seasons as head coach for the Falcons. He previously served three years as head coach in Tampa Bay from 2009-11 with a 17-31 record and was interim coach in Atlanta in 2020.

While he has never made the playoffs as a head coach, he had a successful three-year run as a defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams from 2021-23, helping the team win the Super Bowl in his first season. Morris has extensive experience as a secondary coach and even spent a few years coaching wide receivers in Atlanta.

Morris will be San Francisco’s fifth defensive coordinator in as many seasons. DeMeco Ryans left following the 2022 season to become head coach for Houston before Shanahan cycled through Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen the next two seasons before firing both.

Saleh, who was Shanahan’s defensive coordinator in his first four seasons in San Francisco, returned in 2025 after a failed stint as head coach of the New York Jets and did a good job piecing together a capable defense despite having a unit hampered by injuries to players such as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Josh Dubow, The Associated Press

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