George Kittle on Robert Saleh's return: Violence is coming

George Kittle doesn’t play defense, but Robert Saleh’s return to the 49ers still has him fired up.

Saleh built a strong defense when he was the team’s coordinator from 2017-2020 and turned that success into a job as the head coach of the Jets. Saleh couldn’t reach the same heights in that role and was fired during the 2024 season, which left him available for a second stint with the NFC West club this year.

During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show this week, Kittle shared a message for the rest of the league about what Saleh’s return to the team will mean.

“Violence is coming is what I would say,” Kittle said.

The tight end expanded on his thoughts about what Saleh brings to the table.

“He’s really good at his job, and I’m really excited that we somehow convinced him to be our defensive coordinator again,” Kittle said. “He knows what he’s talking about, he’s inspiring, he gets the boys fired up, and he just happens to also be really, really smart. So, I’m pumped to have him back in the building, just hanging out with him a little bit, talking about stuff. You can just tell he’s ready to roll this year, and he’s gonna get the boys fired up.”

The 49ers selected defensive players with their first five picks in this year’s draft and the new blood will be needed after a slew of departures on that side of the ball this offseason. If Saleh can mold them into a similar unit to the one he built in his first 49ers run, a rebound from last year’s disappointing season in Northern California could be in the cards.