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The Cleveland Browns continue their search for a new head coach, and 49ers assistants might be on the radar, but it's still a bit hazy. According to Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns interviewed Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine earlier this month, and followed up with a second interview of four hours in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl.
Tuesday evening, a Bills reporter tweeted that a deal was close for Pettine. He then followed up with "I 'think' Pettine is going to get it but there is no done deal with Browns as of now..." Cabot's reported that the tweet was premature, but that things could flip pretty quickly.
This has been a very fluid situation with names coming in and out of the discussion. Adam Gase was considered the front-runner, but on Tuesday, he told Browns owner Jimmy Haslam that he wanted his name removed from consideration.
Jim Harbaugh had his end of season press conference on Tuesday, and he indicated he had some conversations with the Browns about 49ers assistant coaches. He would not go into any detail as to who, just that there had been discussions. This came a day after reports that the Browns had done some background work on Jim Tomsula. It sound like the team has not yet scheduled an interview, so he remains in a bit of flux. Cabot's report indicated the Browns have not reached out to 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
And so, much like Browns fans, we are left to wait and see how this process plays out. It would be nice to get an answer soon, but at times it seems like the Browns lack the general level of competence to make that happen
