ESPN analyst Louis Riddick spent Monday discussing why the San Francisco 49ers GM job is appealing, and within the coming week, he is expected to interview for said job. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Riddick will meet with the 49ers next week in New York to discuss the job.
Riddick has been at ESPN for a couple years now after spending 13 years in scouting and other personnel roles. He was a scout in Washington from 2001 to 2004. He was promoted to director of pro personnel in 2005, a role he held until 2007. He moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2008 as a scout. He was promoted to assistant director of pro personnel in 2009, and then spent 2010 to 2013 as director of pro personnel.
He is viewed by many as a strong candidate, and his media experience would actually serve him well. Some of the biggest complaints about Trent Baalke revolved around his gruff personality, and his struggles to play well with others. Even though interactions with the media are far from the most important job for a GM, Riddick’s ability to interact and express his opinions well would be valuable in his interactions with his staff and other teams executives. Whether he could get the 49ers back to the promised land remains to be seen, but he is an intriguing option, to say the least.