49ers news: DeMeco Ryans is all but gone from Niners next season

The 49ers are about to watch another one of their coordinators, DeMeco Ryans this time, depart the team for a head-coaching vacancy.

While San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s overall legacy with the franchise is far from being determined, one thing is already certain.

He’s created quite the coaching tree.

In the wake of watching previous Niners coordinators like Robert Saleh and Mike McDaniel take up head-coaching gigs with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, respectively, Shanahan is now going to play witness to another heading off for a bigger challenge in 2023.

Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

Ryans was already a budding name a year ago at this time after picking up where Saleh left off, helping San Francisco get all the way to the NFC Championship game and showing plenty of growth and development as a defensive play-caller along the way.

Then, in 2022, Ryans was ultimately responsible for what turned into the No. 1-ranked scoring defense across the entire NFL.

If that won’t get him a head-coaching job somewhere next season, what will?

DeMeco Ryans has plenty of interviews scheduled before 49ers next playoff game

Ryans had only one coaching interview of note a year ago at this time, interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings for their vacancy in the wake of firing head coach Mike Zimmer.

Ultimately, Ryans declined a second interview with Minnesota, and that seemed to work in his favor. Backing up the 2021 season with an even more impressive 2022 campaign with the 49ers defense, Ryans is going to be an even hotter candidate than he was 12 months ago.

Judging by his interview schedule ahead of the Niners’ divisional game of the playoffs, that appears to be the case, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday:

Related Story: NFL rumors: Texans eyeing DeMeco Ryans as next head coach

Schefter reported the Indianapolis Colts are the latest team to submit a request to interview Ryans, as they don’t appear interested in retaining their interim head coach, Jeff Saturday, who turned out to be a popular flop.

As such, Indy is only the latest team of a growing list of squads potentially interested in Ryans, and that list includes the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals.

Perhaps more in the near future, too.

Ryans elected to stay put a season ago, gambling on himself to outdo what was already an impressive 2021 campaign.

That strategy has paid off handsomely, San Francisco’s defensive coordinator is all but guaranteed a head-coaching job this upcoming season, and the 49ers will once again be looking to fill a vacancy underneath Shanahan.