This weekend brings some interesting playoff matchups that will impact the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers coaching and GM search is left with a handful of candidates for each position, and several of them are on currently active playoff teams. Decisions on them will have to wait until playoff resolution.
The 49ers current candidates for head coach and general manager are as follows:
Josh McDaniels, Patriots (HC)
Kyle Shanahan, Falcons (HC)
Tom Cable, Seahawks (HC)
George Paton, Vikings (GM)
Jimmy Raye III, Colts (GM)
Brandon Beane, Panthers (GM)
Louis Riddick, ESPN (GM)
Terry McDonough, Cardinals (GM
Trent Kirchner, Seahawks (GM
Scott Fitterer, Seahawks (GM)
A team cannot technically agree to terms with a new head coach until his team has been eliminated from the playoffs, or has won the Super Bowl. Teams often come to agreements before then when it involves a Super Bowl assistant, but it would not be formally announced until the Monday after the Super Bowl.
A team can agree to terms with a new general manager, but only with permission from the executives previous team. They can do multiple interviews regardless of the playoff, but it also requires permission.
The Falcons, Seahawks, Patriots, and Packers all have coaches and/or executives on the 49ers list. The Falcons host the Seahawks Saturday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. PT, the Patriots host the Texans at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, and the Packers host the Cowboys at 1:40 p.m. on Sunday.
At this point, I am rooting for the Seahawks, Texans, and Cowboys. I don’t think the 49ers will hire Tom Cable as head coach, but I really would prefer the opportunity not even be available to make that kind of mistake. And if the Cowboys beat the Packers, the 49ers could quickly hire Eliot Wolf or Brian Gutekunst if they so chose.