As the 49ers search for a new coach and a new General Manager, they have one overriding priority: Making sure the coach and G.M. will get along well.
One of the leading candidates to become the next head coach has one overriding priority: Making sure his next NFL head-coaching job will work out far better than his first one.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is regarded as being the top candidate for the job. Some league insiders believe the job is his if he wants it. Indeed, one league source tells PFT that McDaniels has been reaching out to potential assistant coaches and urged them to remain available.
That said, others believe McDaniels is conflicted about the job. He has four young children, and there’s a strong desire to not uproot the family for a short-term stint on the other side of the country. As the Broncos coach in 2009 and most of 2010, McDaniels didn’t even two full seasons to turn around the Broncos. Given San Francisco’s recent trend of parting ways with coaches (three left in roughly 24 months), there’s legitimate concern that McDaniels possibly won’t be coaching for an extended period of time.
Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan also is believed to be one of the top candidates, and Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable could emerge as a dark horse for the job -- especially if he could be paired with someone from the Seattle front office in an anti-Baalke/Harbaugh arrangement that would stabilize the 49ers and pluck a couple of key pieces away from a top rival.
Another factor could be availability to be hired. Neither Shanahan nor McDaniels can get the job until the Falcons’ and Patriots’ seasons end, respectively. Cable can be hired now.