One day after his team suffered a miserable defeat, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson could find a new home as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is reporting Jackson could sign a contract with the 49ers as early as Sunday.
Discussed #49ers coaching search on @NFLGameDay: Hue Jackson interviews with 49ers brass. If all goes well, he could end today as SF's coach
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 10, 2016
This is in line with a report by Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News from two days ago in which he said the 49ers were “clear front-runners” to land the hot offensive coach.
“The source said that all signs point to the 49ers picking Jackson for their vacancy, as long as the interview goes well, and the 49ers are under the impression that Jackson will accept it,” Kawakami wrote.
Perhaps the biggest sticking point in discussions with the 49ers would potentially be concerning assistant coaches. Last year’s coaching search was derailed in part because the 49ers wanted to dictate to Adam Gase that he retain some of the assistants from the Jim Harbaugh regime.
Likely, the franchise wouldn’t make the same mistake a second time.
An interesting discussion that could also take place during the team’s meeting with Jackson on Sunday would revolve around the quarterback position. Colin Kaepernick remains on the team’s roster and is currently recovering from two surgeries. Jackson might be interested in working with the embattled quarterback and convince him to stay, much like what Harbaugh did with Alex Smith five years ago.
Jackson would be a great fit for the 49ers. His fire and offensive prowess are just what the franchise needs, and it will be interesting to see if the two sides can come to an agreement as quickly as is being reported.