The 49ers’ internal fallout from the departure of Assistant General Manager Adam Peters is hard to gauge. In a collaborative organization, it’s difficult to tell what decisions he made or didn’t make in the trades, free agency, and draft.
What is known is that Josh Harris, the new ownership group, has Washington making waves early on, and Peters enjoys a high level of respect in the league and his teams have performed well. The NFC East might see as many as three new head coaches next year.
According to reports heading into the playoffs, if Dallas and Philadelphia lose this weekend, Mike McCarthy in Dallas and Nick Sirianni in Philadelphia might lose their jobs. Jerry Jones will go after names in Dallas, Bill Belichick might take over the Eagles, and Washington is starting to get some legitimacy.
Washington has transformed from a joke to a desirable place to work, thanks to a new owner, a planned stadium, and the second overall selection. Who becomes the head coach at Washington?
Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh are available, but they have been hired. Someone who can keep the squad in the running for the championship until the new stadium opens is what the team might be looking for.
Bringing in Bob Myers to assist with coach evaluation is not necessary to hire a household name such as Harbaugh. It seems that Washington is searching for a new impact coach—someone with a different perspective on the game.
Steve Kerr brought a thick binder full of thoughts and notes about what he had learned from playing for Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, and Lute Olson to his interview with Myers and the new Warriors ownership. He won four rings by putting those coaches’ hybrids into practice. Myers is now hopeful that Kerr’s NFL counterpart will arrive.
I anticipate that Washington will evaluate a large number of candidates with diligence, but that in the end, two innovative finalists will emerge. Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for Detroit, and Mike Macdonald, the defensive coordinator for Baltimore.
Johnson is from Asheville and attended UNC, hence Carolina is predicted to be in the lead. Having worked as a coach for both Harbaughs, Macdonald might have certain characteristics with Kerr.
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