The San Francisco 49ers have begun their sixth interview for the vacant general manager position. The team announced on Tuesday that ESPN analyst Louis Riddick has begun his interview.
Riddick has worked at ESPN since May 2013, providing “front office insight” as part of their NFL Insiders program. His experience in front offices dates back to 2001. From 2001 to 2004, he was a pro scout in Washington. He was promoted to director of pro personnel, a position he held from 2005 to 2007. He then joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2008 as a scout. He was named assistant director of pro personnel in 2009, and was promoted to director of pro personnel in 2010. He served in the role until 2013.
Riddick has been appearing on ESPN over the past week discussing the various openings around the league. In his comments, he has not specifically said Josh McDaniels is the coach he wants, but his comments coupled with his friendship with McDaniels suggest he is the coach Riddick would want. Last week, Riddick talked about the 49ers massive overhaul will require a coach and GM who know each other well and can have the patience for a lengthy overhaul. On Monday, he talked about the importance of having a head coach and GM who know each other and can work together because you might not get a head coach in until after the Super Bowl.
The 49ers interviewed Josh McDaniels over the weekend, and have two more head coach interviews planned, with Vance Joseph on Thursday and Tom Cable on Sunday. In the meantime, they continue their GM interviews. After the Riddick interview, they have Seattle executives Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer remaining next Monday.