This is getting ridiculous.
The 49ers keep missing out on the top defensive coordinator candidates on the market as they wait for Robert Saleh, who seems to be the leading candidate to become the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach.
Which means the 49ers might need to scramble to find a second option. And according to Tim Kawakami of The SF Standard, that backup option could be former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
“I’ve heard that Carroll’s name has come up inside 49ers HQ as an interesting idea, at least,” writes Kawakami. “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.”
The Raiders are interested in Carroll because only desperate coaches with no options even would consider coaching for them. Which makes you wonder how desirable the 49ers’ defensive coordinator position really is.
Carroll would be a good fit for the 49ers in the sense that he’s a true leader of men who brings energy and enthusiasm that Kyle Shanahan does not provide his players. Even at 73 years old, Carroll is much more energetic than Shanahan.
But Carroll hasn’t had a top 10 defense since 2016. His last five seasons in Seattle, his defenses were horrible. The league has caught up to his three-deep-zone scheme — it’s outdated. Almost no one runs it anymore.
Surely, the 49ers can find someone better, right?
Right?