Kirchner Withdraws From 49ers’ GM Search
A day after Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took himself out of the running for the 49ers’ head coaching vacancy, Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner has withdrawn from their general manager search, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Kirchner interviewed with the Niners on Monday, but he’s content to remain with NFC West rival Seattle and continue working under GM John Schneider.
Kirchner is one of nine candidates the 49ers have spoken with regarding their GM position. Scott Fitterer, Kirchner’s fellow director of player personnel with the Seahawks, has also met with San Francisco brass. Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst is reportedly the front-runner for the position, however, so it appears Seattle will keep its front office intact. That could bode poorly for Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable‘s chances of landing the Niners’ head coaching job, for which he and Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan are the finalists.
Niners CEO Jed York and executive vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe have admitted during head coaching interviews that their roster is “in shambles,” but both that gig and the franchise’s GM role carry appeal. York and Marathe have promised to exercise patience and spend money to improve the roster, and the 49ers are set to enter the offseason with an NFC-high $77MM-plus in cap space. They’re also armed with the second overall pick in the draft. We now know that Kirchner won’t be the one making that selection.
49ers' "Roster In Shambles"
During their head coaching search, which is now down to Kyle Shanahan and Tom Cable, the 49ers have admitted to candidates that their “roster is in shambles,” writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. As such, CEO Jed York and executive vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe have promised during interviews that they’ll exhibit patience and a willingness to expend resources. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels bowed out of the race for San Francisco’s head coaching job Monday, but he did praise both York and Marathe. “I was really impressed with Jed York and Paraag and Brian (Hampton), and people that came for the 49ers organization,” McDaniels told reporters (via Maiocco). “They did a great job with their presentation.”
Gus Bradley Waiting To See Status Of 49ers HC Gig
However, Bradley isn’t in a rush to sign a deal. The former Jaguars coach is waiting to see whether the 49ers will hire Seahawks offensive line/assistant head coach Tom Cable as their head coach. The duo coached together in Seattle from 2011 through 2012, and we can assume that Bradley would be interested in joining Cable’s 49ers staff. Alex Marvez of the Sporting News reports (via Twitter) that Bradley is a “top choice” for Cable’s hypothetical staff.
- Chip Kelly headed into his interview with the Jaguars believing he’d get offered the offensive coordinator position, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). In fact, the former Eagles and 49ers head coach already has some “assistant hires” ready to go. Rapoport notes that there’s a good chance Kelly gets the gig.
Latest On 49ers’ HC, GM Searches
The 49ers have spent by far the most time interviewing high-level personnel this offseason, and now the team is entering its third week without a head coach or general manager. But some clarity could be coming on both fronts.
Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan and Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst have emerged in front for the HC and GM jobs, respectively, as the team searches to fully move on from Chip Kelly and Trent Baalke. Gutekunst impressed the 49ers in his interview and is a frontrunner as of now, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets, before adding Shanahan could have a say in this matter.
Recent Packers promoted executives Gutekunst and Eliot Wolf were among the nine candidates to interview for the 49ers job, and Alex Marvez of the Sporting News confirms Breer’s report about positive buzz coming out of the Gutekunst-49ers summit (Twitter link). Marvez adds the 49ers are have pared this list down and bring in finalists for secondary interviews this week. It can be assumed the 43-year-old Gutekunst, an 18-year Packers employee, is one of the finalists. One of the candidates, Cardinals VP of player personnel Terry McDonough, preferred Shanahan throughout this process, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com notes (on Twitter).
As for Shanahan, he appears to have a relatively clear path to his first HC job. The 49ers do not plan to restart the interview process after highly touted candidate Josh McDaniels withdrew his name from consideration. The 37-year-old assistant is “by far” the 49ers’ top option, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets, and although he cannot be hired until after the Falcons’ season concludes, he can be brought in for a second interview after the NFC championship game if Atlanta advances to Super Bowl LI. That could be to discuss the GM job if the 49ers hold off on making that decision this week. He’s viewed as the favorite over Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable, something the 49ers have recognized privately in recent days, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes.
Josh McDaniels Withdraws From 49ers’ HC Search
The 49ers’ search for a head coach looks set to feature one less name and potentially the one upon which the franchise was fixated. Josh McDaniels is set to bow out of the race to focus on the Patriots’ playoff run, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports also reports (on Twitter) it’s “very unlikely” McDaniels takes this job, with the 40-year-old coach set to remain with the Patriots for at least one more season. Tom Curran of CSNNE.com tweets McDaniels is indeed staying, so Tom Brady will have his OC back in the likely event he returns for his age-40 season in 2017.
McDaniels confirmed he will stay with the Patriots. “At this time, best for family and myself to remain here in New England,” he said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
This leaves Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan and Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable as the finalists, with the remaining candidates having accepted HC positions elsewhere.
Deep into his second stint as the Patriots’ offensive play-caller, McDaniels has reservations about moving his family across the country for a job that has obviously not been stable over the past few years, La Canfora tweets. The CBS reporter refers to this (Twitter link) as a personal decision for the OC, who interviewed with the 49ers, Rams and Jaguars only to see the latter two franchises go with coaches whose teams had been eliminated. McDaniels will have coached in five straight AFC championship games since resuming his Pats post, but the 49ers were interested and willing to wait.
The reporter adds (Twitter link) the franchise is “very high” on Shanahan, who would figure to have a prestige edge on Cable due to the disparate successes of the coaches’ units this season. San Francisco is “honing in” on Shanahan, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). And the team no longer has any competition for the Atlanta play-caller’s services. But Cable making it this far into an expansive search despite Seattle’s struggles up front — with rookie-deal players and patchwork veterans — points to the former Raiders HC having impressed during his interview.
McDaniels at one point during this process viewed the 49ers job as the top position on the market, even though the franchise has cycled through coaches at a historic pace. San Francisco will have a fourth coach in four years and has now interviewed five coaches for the position.
Latest On 49ers’ Head Coaching Vacancy
The 49ers are the final NFL club still searching for a new head coach, and they’ve likely narrowed their hunt down to three candidates: Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and Seahawks OL/assistant head coach Tom Cable, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: 2017 Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Cable will interview for the position today, while both Shanahan and McDaniels were already granted permission to meet with 49ers management given that their respective clubs had earned first-round playoff byes. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the key factor in San Francisco’s favor is time — because all the other head coaching jobs have been filled, the Niners have no incentive to rush to find their next coach.
Now that the Seahawks have been eliminated, Cable is free to interview at any time going forward, while Shanahan and McDaniels would each be allowed to interview during the week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Of course, if either Atlanta or New England is eliminated next week, Shanahan and McDaniels could interview freely on their own schedule.
The 49ers, of course, are also the only NFL team looking for a new general manager after parting ways with Trent Baalke. San Francisco has interviewed a number of candidates, including ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, for the position. Riddick would likely come to the Bay Area as package deal with McDaniels, who was said to view the 49ers as his preferred destination.
However, McDaniels has expressed some reticence about leaving New England for the 49ers, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While McDaniels can likely have the San Francisco job if he wants it, and has reportedly already been identifying prospective staff members around the NFL, the Patriots OC is worried about moving his family across the country for what could turn out to be a short stay (given the 49ers’ recent track record of firing coaches).
Latest On Packers Execs/49ers’ GM Search
Packers executives Brian Gutekunst and Eliot Wolf are two of the nine candidates the 49ers have interviewed for their general manager job, and sources tell Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that San Francisco views Gutekunst in a higher regard, adding that the Niners were “really impressed” by Green Bay’s director of college scouting. Mike Silver of NFL.com (Twitter link) continues to “believe” that Gutekunst and Wolf are the leading contenders for the SF gig.
[RELATED: Latest On 49ers’ Head Coach Search]
Meanwhile, Wolf — the Packers’ director of football operations — would almost certainly accept the 49ers job if offered, per McGinn, as some believe that he’d like to escape the shadow of his father, former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, in Green Bay. The Packers denied the Lions’ request to interview Wolf for their GM vacancy last offseason, but they’ve made no attempt to do so this offseason. On the other hand, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report adds (video link) that Green Bay does not want to lose Wolf, and would consider moving him into the GM chair this offseason to replace Ted Thompson.
Green Bay’s front office machinations also have implications in Kansas City, where Chiefs general manager John Dorsey could be a candidate to take over for Thompson in 2018. Dorsey is one of the lowest-paid GMs in the NFL, according to McGinn, and some sources believe that he would relish an opportunity to return to the Packers. “I always thought he was the type of guy who would want to come back to Green Bay,” said one of Dorsey’s friends. “He loves the Packers. I do know that.”
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/13/17
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.
Philadelphia Eagles
- FB Andrew Bonnet
San Francisco 49ers
- P Brock Miller
49ers Could Pair Louis Riddick, Josh McDaniels
General manager candidate Louis Riddick‘s interview with the 49ers “went well,” relays Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, who adds that the team won’t make a decision on a GM without having input from its next head coach. Josh McDaniels, the potential favorite for the 49ers’ head coaching job, and Riddick would likely end up as a package deal in San Fransisco, per Robinson (Twitter links).
49ers To Interview Terry McDonough
On Friday, the 49ers will interview Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough for their general manager vacancy, sources tell Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. McDonough is now the ninth known candidate presently in the mix for the position, as shown in PFR’s 49ers GM Search Tracker. 
[RELATED: PFR’s 49ers GM Search Tracker]
The Niners have already interviewed Green Bay’s Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst, Minnesota’s George Paton, Carolina’s Brandon Beane, Indianapolis’ Jimmy Raye III, and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick. Seattle co-directors of player personnel Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner are also slated to be interviewed.
McDonough has spent four seasons with the Cardinals. For the last three seasons, he has been in charge of the college and pro personnel departments while assisting with the negotiations of player contracts. All in all, he has 25 years of NFL scouting on his resume.