The Vikings interviewed DeMeco Ryans for their head coaching position on Sunday afternoon, per a club announcement. The 49ers defensive coordinator, who is also in the mix for the Raiders’ vacancy, is one of ten candidates being considered by Minnesota. 
Ryans, a longtime NFL linebacker, has been with the Niners since 2017. After one season as SF’s defensive quality coach, Ryan coached the team’s inside linebackers for three seasons before graduating to defensive coordinator in 2021.
Now, he’s making a strong case for another step up, especially after his defense held Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to just ten points on Saturday. In the regular season, his Niners D finished third in yards allowed and ninth in points allowed. While Ryans remains focused on the NFC Championship Game, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him land a head coaching job in the coming weeks.
For now, Ryans is one of just a handful of known candidates on the Raiders’ radar, alongside interim HC Rich Bisaccia, Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, and (possibly) Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh. Meanwhile, the Vikings’ list includes:
- Todd Bowles, defensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed 1/21
- Jonathan Gannon, defensive coordinator (Eagles): Interviewed 1/20
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Mentioned as candidate
- Nathaniel Hackett, offensive coordinator (Packers): Interviewed 1/16
- Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Cowboys): Interview requested
- Raheem Morris, defensive coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/21
- Kevin O’Connell, offensive coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/21
- Dan Quinn, defensive coordinator (Cowboys): Interviewed 1/19
- Doug Pederson, former head coach (Eagles): Interview requested
- DeMeco Ryans, defensive coordinator (49ers): Interviewed 1/23
O’Connell…Please!
Agreed. My first choice, as well. Poles hopefully takes the gm job.
Please don’t take away Ryans from the 49ers just yet!! lol…All jokes aside, I’d love for him to stay, but he’s going to be gone in a year or two, he’s just too good not to he a head coach.
He has a great knack for identifying underrated defensive talent, he is a great gameplanner, but he is also excellent at making in-game adjustments. That’s actually one of his best qualities as a coach, plus his players love playing for him.
Ryans is destined for success, I just hope he picks the right situation to start out at. He might need a strong OC to truly succeed as an NFL HC, but one thing is for sure, and that’s he isn’t long for the DC spot at SF, sadly..lol
That’s the tough thing about getting your first HC job. You don’t always get to pick the right situation if you really want to be a HC, most of the time it’s a bad team with some disfunction going on. Hard to hit the ground running.
Well in-game adjustments is not going to be something the Vikings roster is accustomed to, as Zimmer was ridiculously inept in that department.
Brandon Staley alert! Brandon Staley alert!
Dude I love Ryans . . . he has such a cool name too lol
He’s gonna have a lot of success in the nfl