49ers Complete Interview with Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels
The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up their interview with current New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is a top candidate for the Niners’ head coaching gig.
Current New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is, perhaps, the most sought-after candidate for a head coaching position this offseason, and the San Francisco 49ers finally wrapped up their interview with him for their own vacancy.
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Niners CEO Jed York and Vice President of Football Operations Paraag Marathe completed the interview on Saturday. New England, the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC, is on a playoff bye to open up the postseason.
McDaniels, 40 years old, is the third candidate to interview for the position, according to Taylor Price of 49ers.com. San Francisco previously interviewed Buffalo Bills interim head coach Anthony Lynn and Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
San Francisco will also conduct other interviews next week for both their head coach and general manager openings.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, McDaniels is also linked with current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who will interview for the Niners’ general manager spot.
Increasing talk that Josh McDaniels and Louis Riddick are actually tied to each other for a coach/GM pairing with #49ers being the spot.
— Jason Cole (@JasonColeBR) January 7, 2017
And, citing a source, SFGate.com’s Eric Branch reported San Francisco is McDaniels’ No. 1 preference for a head coaching job. Branch wrote:
The 49ers, who are the only team with a general-manager opening, are appealing to McDaniels because of their clean-slate situation and CEO Jed York’s stated commitment to patiently rebuilding. It’s believed the 49ers’ status as a marquee franchise, despite their recent free-fall, also makes them more attractive than Los Angeles and Jacksonville.
McDaniels has also met with representatives of the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend.
Fans will remember McDaniels’ head coaching tenure with the Denver Broncos between 2009 and 2010, in which his teams went 11-17 and resulted in his dismissal.
He likely understands this will be his final chance to stay as a head coach in the NFL, so the thought of a very patient Jed York — this time — and a clean slate might be the most appealing scenario.
