The 49ers appear to be searching high and low for their next defensive coordinator.
With former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh, who San Francisco reportedly is targeting for the position, scheduled to have a second interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday for their head coach position, the 49ers could turn to a familiar foe if Saleh is hired elsewhere.
San Francisco, internally, has discussed the idea of former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll as defensive coordinator, The San Francisco Standard's Tim Kawakami reported Wednesday.
"As the 49ers anxiously wait for the outcome of Saleh’s interview with Jacksonville for the Jaguars’ head-coaching vacancy, I’ve heard that Carroll’s name has come up inside 49ers HQ as an interesting idea, at least. But the 49ers also have to wait out things with Carroll, who, according to The Athletic, could be the Raiders’ No. 1 choice now that Ben Johnson has taken the Chicago Bears’ job."
As Kawakami mentioned, Carroll reportedly is the Las Vegas Raiders' top choice to fill their head-coaching vacancy after they missed out on hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who accepted the Chicago Bears head coach position this week.
Carroll previously served as Seattle's head coach for 14 seasons from 2010-2023, and before he was a bitter 49ers rival, the longtime coach once was San Francisco's defensive coordinator from 1995-1996 before he became the New England Patriots head coach in 1997 and eventually the head coach at USC in 2000.
It remains to be seen how serious the 49ers' interest in Carroll is, but returning to the defensive coordinator position he held 28 years ago certainly would be a full-circle moment for the 73-year-old coach.
San Francisco 49ers
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.