49ers’ GM Search Includes Three Candidates?
The 49ers are expected to hire a new general manager early this week, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports. But there appears to be a third finalist who didn’t go through the formal interview process.
San Francisco is said to be deciding between finalists George Paton and Terry McDonough, who completed second interviews with the team on Saturday in Atlanta. Maiocco adds a third candidate with whom presumptive head coach Kyle Shanahan is comfortable is being considered. The 49ers have discussed ESPN analyst — and former Buccaneers GM — Mark Dominik, per Maiocco, but he didn’t interview with the team. It’s uncertain at this point whether Dominik is the third candidate.
Shanahan doesn’t have experience working with Paton or McDonough but does have a history with Dominik. During Shanahan’s days as Bucs offensive quality control coach in 2004-05, Dominik worked as the team’s director of pro scouting — a post he held for 12 years before ascending to Tampa Bay’s GM job.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn recommended Paton, with whom he worked in Miami, to the 49ers. And Maiocco notes the Vikings assistant GM may be the favorite based on the amount of time he spent with 49ers brass this weekend. Paton had dinner with Shanahan and Jed York on Friday before the Saturday interview. Shanahan also spoke directly with Paton and McDonough about how much control the GM position would have in terms of personnel, contractually and functionally, per Maiocco. Shanahan, however, continues to not insist on full roster control.
Mike Shanahan would certainly be a coach Kyle is familiar working with, but Maiocco does not include the former HC (and 49ers OC) as a candidate despite the elder Shanahan being mentioned as a possible front-office solution in San Francisco.
Today marks four weeks since the 49ers jettisoned Trent Baalke, and we heard this weekend the team wasn’t fully committed to hiring one of the two finalists. Additionally, Paton wasn’t considered a lock to take this job if offered. Paton remains in the hunt for the Colts’ GM job, but Chiefs player personnel director Chris Ballard has emerged as the favorite after securing a second interview.
Matt LaFleur, Richard Hightower Could Join Kyle Shanahan With 49ers
Kyle Shanahan is widely expected to become the 49ers‘ next head coach, and now some are beginning to wonder how he will go about filling out his staff. As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes, it is unlikely that Shanahan will be able to bring many of his Atlanta assistants with him given that most of those assistants are under contract with the Falcons or are loyal to Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. However, Barrows posits that Shanahan could bring current Atlanta quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur to the Bay Area and install him as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator. LaFleur — who would also be a candidate to replace Shanahan as the Falcons’ OC — has worked with Shanahan for eight seasons in Atlanta, Washington, and Houston.
Barrows’ sources also suggest that Bears’ assistant special-teams coach Richard Hightower could become the 49ers’ special teams coordinator. Hightower worked under Shanahan in 2014 as an offensive quality control coach for the Browns.
Latest On 49ers’ GM Finalist Stage
Today represents a pivotal spot on the calendar regarding the 49ers’ near-month-long search to replace Trent Baalke. Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough will conduct second interviews in Atlanta, but one of the candidates is not considered a lock to accept the job.
While news emerged Friday the 49ers may not be ready to commit to Paton or McDonough, and thus reopen their search, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports Paton is not a lock to accept the job if offered. Rick Spielman‘s second-in-command staffer remained an integral component of this process throughout, staying in the finalist picture even before Packers execs Brian Gutekunst and Eliot Wolf withdrew. But Paton turned down opportunities in the past to interview with the Jets and Dolphins, and the longtime Vikings exec interviewed on Wednesday to become the Colts’ GM. Jed York met with Kyle Shanahan and Paton over dinner on Friday night before the expected meetings with both candidates today.
Maiocco confirms Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports’ report about the 49ers not being ready to commit even at this juncture and adds Shanahan wants to ensure during this search the team finds a GM with whom he can share responsibilities. Maiocco reiterates Shanahan will not demand complete roster control. Only a handful of coaches in the league have that responsibility, and the 37-year-old OC looks amenable to working alongside the 49ers’ GM hire.
Paton is believed to have more experience on the financial side of matters, whereas McDonough has dealt mostly with scouting, per Maiocco. The Cardinals high-ranking personnel man played a key role in Arizona landing David Johnson, John Brown and Rodney Gunter during a successful run for the Cardinals in the middle of recent drafts. One source told Maiocco McDonough’s draft acumen is “his No. 1 asset.” Paton isn’t a common fixture on the scouting circuit, working mostly out of the office on the pro personnel side of the spectrum, Maiocco notes.
Former execs Mark Domenik and Mike Shanahan have also been linked with potential front-office responsibilities with the 49ers, who will have gone without a GM for four weeks on Sunday if no one is hired today.
Kyle Shanahan Once Tried To Trade For Kirk Cousins
- Soon-to-be 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan tried to trade for Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins while he was Cleveland’s offensive coordinator in 2014, and also favored Cousins over Robert Griffin III when the trio was in Washington, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. With Shanahan likely headed to San Francisco, he could theoretically pursue Cousins if the price is right (and Washington is willing to let him go).
Latest On 49ers’ GM Search
Led by CEO Jed York and executive vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe, the 49ers have reached out to 11 candidates this offseason in their quest to find a general manager. While the Niners are seemingly down to two finalists for the position – Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough and Vikings assistant GM George Paton – the saga isn’t necessarily nearing a conclusion. On the contrary, it’s “by no means” certain the 49ers will hire McDonough or Paton, and passing on each would cause them to reopen their search, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter).
La Canfora’s report jibes with what a source told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com earlier this week – that “it’s not a lock” either McDonough or Paton will land the GM role in San Francisco. If the 49ers don’t tab one of those two, it’ll likely be the result of neither being able to sync with soon-to-be head coach Kyle Shanahan. The current Falcons offensive coordinator will take a break from Super Bowl LI preparation this weekend to meet with McDonough and Paton, who’s reportedly willing to take the Colts’ GM job.
Should one of McDonough or Paton hit it off with Shanahan in the coming days, the 49ers could have their next GM in place as early as Saturday, writes Cam Inman of the Mercury News. Otherwise, they’ll be back at square one and set to drag their GM search into a second month.
Both longtime head coach Mike Shanahan, Kyle’s father, and ex-Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik have come up as possibilities to take front office jobs with the 49ers. They might be worth keeping an eye on, then, and the same goes for Falcons director of football operations Nick Polk, Jaguars director of player personnel Chris Polian, former Browns executive Morocco Brown and Redskins exec Alex Santos.
Mike Shanahan Could Take Job With 49ers
Two-time Super Bowl champion Mike Shanahan has no interest in coaching anymore, but he has expressed a desire to work in a team’s front office. That could happen soon, as there’s “increasing chatter in league circles” that Shanahan will join his son, Falcons offensive coordinator and 49ers head-coach-in-waiting Kyle Shanahan, in San Francisco, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
It’s unclear which role the elder Shanahan would take on with the Niners, who are also lacking a general manager. Regardless, the team wouldn’t be thrilled to welcome him, according to Florio, but it might be the cost of doing business for a club with only one head coaching candidate remaining as February nears. Given the 49ers’ desperate situation, Kyle Shanahan “has a tremendous amount of power” over the organization, writes Florio.
Another stint in San Francisco would be the second for Mike Shanahan, who previously served as its offensive coordinator from 1992-94. The former Raiders, Broncos and Redskins head coach was also under consideration to return to the 49ers as their sideline leader in the prior two offseasons. Shanahan, 64, interviewed to become the 49ers’ head coach, though they ended up tabbing Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly in those searches. Now, their decisions to choose those one-and-done coaches over Mike Shanahan could lead to the hiring of him as an executive and his son as their head coach this year.
Latest On 49ers' GM Search
In their drawn-out quest to find a general manager, the 49ers are down to two finalists – Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals Terry McDonough – but “it’s not a lock” either will end up with the job, a source close to the team told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. While there’s a “good chance” one of them will land the role, per the source, the previously reported Mark Dominik “could become involved” if the Niners go in another direction, writes Maiocco.
Ex-Bucs GM Mark Dominik Could Join 49ers
While the 49ers still haven’t officially hired a new general manager or head coach, the “scuttlebutt” at this week’s Senior Bowl is that former Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik could join the 49ers in some capacity, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSSports.com.
[RELATED: 2017 GM Search Tracker]
Dominik presumably wouldn’t be hired as San Francisco’s general manager given that he hasn’t been linked to the club’s ongoing search. The Vikings’ George Paton and Cardinals’ Terry McDonough are the favorites for the job at the moment, and both are conducting second interviews with the 49ers. However, the club is said to be willing to restart its GM hunt if neither of the remaining candidates are the correct fit.
Dominik, now an ESPN analyst, had spent nearly his entire NFL career with Tampa Bay, acting as the team’s director of pro scouting from 1997-2008 and its general manager from 2008-13. Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers’ presumptive head coach, was on staff with the Buccaneers from 2004-05, so it’s possible the two men have a connection. Additionally, Dominink has been viewed as a package deal with current Falcons head coach Dan Quinn during past hiring cycles, meaning Quinn may have given a recommendation to his offensive coordinator.
49ers Never Formally Requested To Interview Bears DC Vic Fangio
- The 49ers never formally requested to interview Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, coach John Fox told Rich Campbell of The Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Fangio will instead be sticking in Chicago, and Campbell expects him to be “heavily involved” in coaching the team’s outside linebackers. The team is without an outside linebackers coach after losing Clint Hurtt to the Seahawks.
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CEO Jed York Preaches Patience
49ers fans have been waiting for the better part of a month for the organization to hire their next head coach and general manager. The team will seemingly have to wait at least another two weeks to hire frontrunner Kyle Shanahan from the Falcons, and they may be waiting a bit longer to bring in a new general manager.
“The message is we’re going to re-establish a championship culture,” York said (via Cam Inman of The Mercury News). “We’re not going to do that by filling a job quickly. We need to be patient. We need to be willing to wait.