The San Francisco 49ers general manager and head coach search process have taken longer than many expected. Jed York has proclaimed a need for patience as they look to get this right, rather than end up in a never-ending cycle of bad football teams.
It is hard to be patient given the fact that Jed York put the 49ers in this situation to a certain degree. However, the New York Jets provide a fascinating cautionary tale that involves many of the characters in our own little tale.
Jets beat writer Manish Mehta put together an article on Wednesday that features all sorts of fascinating details about the team’s search process in early 2015. It’s anonymous sources, so we certainly can’t take it all as 100 percent fact, but if it is true, it is incredibly intriguing.
The Jets hired Todd Bowles to be their head coach back in January 2015. At the time, they had interviewed Dan Quinn, and Woody Johnson was excited about potentially creating a Seahawks east type of scenario. However, with Quinn and the Seahawks headed to the Super Bowl, Johnson was concerned about losing on both coaches. He finalized a deal with Bowles, and the rest is history.
However, the alternate history Mehta’s sources present involves Quinn, Kyle Shanahan, Mark Dominik, and Kirk Cousins. According to Mehta’s report, Quinn was looking to bring Shanahan with him wherever he ended up. Additionally, Shanahan did not want to work with Geno Smith, and instead was planning on the team trading for Kirk Cousins. To facilitate that, Quinn was going to hire Mark Dominik for a front office job. Dominik was experienced, but more importantly, he had a close relationship with Washington team president Bruce Allen. The hope was that such a move would help get Cousins to the Jets.
Earlier today, Jason La Canfora tweeted that personnel folks at the Senior Bowl thought Dominik and the 49ers could still end up together. If George Paton and Terry McDonough are unable to establish a connection with Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers would need to re-open the search process. Odds are good they have some names in mind if that is the case. Dominik is one that makes sense given his experience. And if Shanahan hopes to trade for Kirk Cousins, Dominik would seem to help.
All in all, Mehta’s article is a fascinating story with plenty of potential implications to consider for the 49ers. If this all does come together, I really don’t want to refer to the 49ers as Jets west.