The San Francisco 49ers coaching search is underway, and we have a candidate. The team formally put in a request to interview Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, according to NFL Network's Mike Silver. This followed a Jeff Darlington report that the Miami Dolphins requested similar permission.
A team cannot block a coordinator from interviewing for a head coach opening, so, assuming Jackson wants to conduct the interview, it will happen. However, because the Bengals are playing this weekend in the wild card round of the 2016 NFL playoffs, the 49ers will not be allowed to interview Jackson until next week. If the Bengals advance to the divisional round, the team can dictate what day a coach is allowed to interview. It would likely be either Monday or Tuesday, although I could see Saturday as a potential interview option since practice is wrapped for the week.
If the 49ers decided to hire Hue Jackson, they would not be able to do so until the Bengals playoff run is over, whenever that might be. Earlier this afternoon, we had a look at some comments Amy Trask had regarding Jackson.