And then there was one. The San Francisco 49ers are down to one serious candidate for their vacant head coaching spot now that Seattle Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable has dropped out of the search.
Cable’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, passed along this news Tuesday.
Just spoke with my client Tom Cable and he is reaffirming his commitment to the Seahawks. He wishes to thank the 49ers for the consideration
— Doug Hendrickson (@DHendrickson41) January 17, 2017
This decision was made public just minutes after reports came out that the 49ers would be offering the head coaching spot to Kyle Shanahan as soon as the Atlanta Falcons’ season comes to an end (more on that here).
On one hand, it signals that perhaps Cable and his agent feel that the job will be taken by Shanahan, which is good news for the 49ers because it means they would land their guy. On the other hand, one has to wonder what will happen if Shanahan decides to stick around in Atlanta to coach the Falcons’ offense, which is brimming with ready-to-go talent whereas he’d be starting from scratch in San Francisco.
The 49ers will reportedly be bringing in general manager candidates to meet up with Shanahan next week after the NFC Championship Game, provided the NFL approves a second interview between the organization and coach.
Things are really coming down to the wire for San Francisco. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens next.