Terry McDonough - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On 49ers’ GM Finalist Stage

January 28th, 2017 at 5:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Today represents a pivotal spot on the calendar regarding the 49ers’ near-month-long search to replace Trent Baalke. Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough will conduct second interviews in Atlanta, but one of the candidates is not considered a lock to accept the job.

While news emerged Friday the 49ers may not be ready to commit to Paton or McDonough, and thus reopen their search, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports Paton is not a lock to accept the job if offered. Rick Spielman‘s second-in-command staffer remained an integral component of this process throughout, staying in the finalist picture even before Packers execs Brian Gutekunst and Eliot Wolf withdrew. But Paton turned down opportunities in the past to interview with the Jets and Dolphins, and the longtime Vikings exec interviewed on Wednesday to become the Colts’ GM. Jed York met with Kyle Shanahan and Paton over dinner on Friday night before the expected meetings with both candidates today.

Maiocco confirms Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports’ report about the 49ers not being ready to commit even at this juncture and adds Shanahan wants to ensure during this search the team finds a GM with whom he can share responsibilities. Maiocco reiterates Shanahan will not demand complete roster control. Only a handful of coaches in the league have that responsibility, and the 37-year-old OC looks amenable to working alongside the 49ers’ GM hire.

Paton is believed to have more experience on the financial side of matters, whereas McDonough has dealt mostly with scouting, per Maiocco. The Cardinals high-ranking personnel man played a key role in Arizona landing David Johnson, John Brown and Rodney Gunter during a successful run for the Cardinals in the middle of recent drafts. One source told Maiocco McDonough’s draft acumen is “his No. 1 asset.” Paton isn’t a common fixture on the scouting circuit, working mostly out of the office on the pro personnel side of the spectrum, Maiocco notes.

Former execs Mark Domenik and Mike Shanahan have also been linked with potential front-office responsibilities with the 49ers, who will have gone without a GM for four weeks on Sunday if no one is hired today.

Latest On 49ers’ GM Search

January 27th, 2017 at 12:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Led by CEO Jed York and executive vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe, the 49ers have reached out to 11 candidates this offseason in their quest to find a general manager. While the Niners are seemingly down to two finalists for the position – Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough and Vikings assistant GM George Paton – the saga isn’t necessarily nearing a conclusion. On the contrary, it’s “by no means” certain the 49ers will hire McDonough or Paton, and passing on each would cause them to reopen their search, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter).

La Canfora’s report jibes with what a source told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com earlier this week – that “it’s not a lock” either McDonough or Paton will land the GM role in San Francisco. If the 49ers don’t tab one of those two, it’ll likely be the result of neither being able to sync with soon-to-be head coach Kyle Shanahan. The current Falcons offensive coordinator will take a break from Super Bowl LI preparation this weekend to meet with McDonough and Paton, who’s reportedly willing to take the Colts’ GM job.

Should one of McDonough or Paton hit it off with Shanahan in the coming days, the 49ers could have their next GM in place as early as Saturday, writes Cam Inman of the Mercury News. Otherwise, they’ll be back at square one and set to drag their GM search into a second month.

Both longtime head coach Mike Shanahan, Kyle’s father, and ex-Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik have come up as possibilities to take front office jobs with the 49ers. They might be worth keeping an eye on, then, and the same goes for Falcons director of football operations Nick Polk, Jaguars director of player personnel Chris Polian, former Browns executive Morocco Brown and Redskins exec Alex Santos.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Eagles, Vikings

January 26th, 2017 at 12:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In their drawn-out quest to find a general manager, the 49ers are down to two finalists – Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals Terry McDonough – but “it’s not a lock” either will end up with the job, a source close to the team told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. While there’s a “good chance” one of them will land the role, per the source, the previously reported Mark Dominik “could become involved” if the Niners go in another direction, writes Maiocco.

Cardinals’ Terry McDonough Set For Second 49ers Meeting

January 24th, 2017 at 1:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough will meet with the 49ers about their GM vacancy for a second time, doing so this weekend, Kent Somers of AZCentral.com tweets. The interview will occur on Saturday, likely in Atlanta, per Somers.

Vikings assistant GM George Paton, the only other known finalist, will also conduct his interview for the 49ers’ job on Saturday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). While McDonough previously resided as a finalist along with Paton, this confirms the two-man race. The team has not set up any additional follow-up meetings.

McDonough has not been connected with the Colts’ GM opening, while Paton is now in the running for both jobs. Paton is expected to meet with the Colts on Wednesday or Thursday, Alex Marvez of the Sporting News tweets. Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan, the runaway leader in the race to become the 49ers’ next HC, is scheduled to be at Paton’s meeting. Presumably, the Super Bowl-bound play-caller will be at McDonough’s as well.

McDonough’s official summons for a second sitdown with the 49ers comes after previous confirmed finalists Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst chose to sign extensions to stay with the Packers.

Latest On 49ers’ Head Coach/GM Search

January 22nd, 2017 at 11:45am CST by Rory Parks

The 49ers will bring in current Falcons’ OC Kyle Shanahan for a second interview either tomorrow or Tuesday if Atlanta should lose the NFC Championship Game today, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). If the Falcons should win, Shanahan’s second interview will take place on Friday. The 37-year-0ld is, of course, considered the runaway favorite to land the team’s head coaching job, and the second interview appears to be more of a formality than anything else.

In the meantime, San Francisco is continuing to plug away with its GM search, but Michael Silver of NFL.com tweets that long-time NFL coach Mike Shanahan (Kyle Shanahan’s father) will not be joining the team in a formal role. Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough are currently viewed as the leading candidates for the 49ers’ GM position, though Kyle Shanahan has no obvious connection with either man. Per Silver (Twitter link), if team CEO Jed York does not sense a fit between Shanahan and Paton or McDonough, he may reopen the GM search.

Silver adds (Twitter links) that York has not decided whether Shanahan or the new GM will have formal control of the 53-man roster, and that York does not view roster control as a “major issue.” He is putting a larger emphasis on creating a strong partnership between coach and GM.

Silver views Paton as the top choice at the moment, with McDonough running second (Twitter link). Had Mike Shanahan returned to the team as a head coach, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that McDonough would have been his choice.

49ers Narrow General Manager Search

January 18th, 2017 at 12:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The 49ers have informed several candidates from their general manager search that they’re out of the running for the job, per a team announcement.

“The 49ers pared down its list of general manager candidates (Wednesday) morning and thanked those who will not be included in the second round of interviews,” tweeted 49ers spokeman Bob Lange. “Upcoming interviews will be announced as they were in the first round.”

Specifically, the Niners will not invite Panthers assistant GM Brandon Beane, Seahawks co-director of player personnel Scott Fitterer, Colts vice president of football operations Jimmy Raye III or ESPN analyst Louis Riddick back for second interviews, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link).

Even before San Francisco eliminated those four from its GM mix, each seemingly had slim odds to land the role. Packers director of college scouting Brian Gutekunst emerged as the favorite earlier this week, and the Niners will also reportedly hold second meetings with Green Bay director of football operations Eliot Wolf and Vikings assistant GM George Paton next week. Those interviews will take place in Atlanta, where Kyle Shanahan coaches. The current Falcons offensive coordinator is the only candidate left for the 49ers’ head coaching position, and he’s set to help the team’s management pick a GM.

Along with Gutekunst, Wolf and Paton, Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough is still in play, per Barrows. However, the 49ers have not yet requested another sitdown with him.

No Guarantee Shanahan Accepts 49ers Job?

January 17th, 2017 at 6:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Now that Tom Cable and Josh McDaniels have each dropped out of the 49ers’ head coaching search, Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is the last man standing and is fully expected to be offered the position. However, Shanahan is not a lock to accept the job, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), who notes that an upcoming meeting between the two parties could play a key role in Shanahan’s decision.

Shanahan will reportedly discuss potential general manager candidates with San Francisco management during his second interview, and the 49ers are now narrowing down their list of executives, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner withdrew his name from the search earlier today, but four other candidates — Brian Gutekunst (Packers), Terry McDonough (Cardinals), George Paton (Vikings) and Eliot Wolf (Packers) — all had “strong” initial interviews, reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.

According to Barrows, Kirchner believed that he and Cable were being used as something of pawns in order to drive Shanahan’s contract demands down. Shanahan does have tremendous leverage, as La Canfora adds (Twitter link), and would certainly be in high demand as a head coach in 2018. But the 49ers job is his last chance to land a head coaching gig during this hiring cycle, as every other vacancy has been filled.

If Shanahan does turn down the 49ers, San Francisco would truly return to square one. Outside of Cable and McDaniels, every other coaching candidate the club interviewed (or had planned to interview), including Doug Marrone, Vance Joseph, Sean McVay, Sean McDermott, and Anthony Lynn, has been hired elsewhere.

Latest On 49ers’ HC, GM Searches

January 16th, 2017 at 2:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers have spent by far the most time interviewing high-level personnel this offseason, and now the team is entering its third week without a head coach or general manager. But some clarity could be coming on both fronts.

Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan and Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst have emerged in front for the HC and GM jobs, respectively, as the team searches to fully move on from Chip Kelly and Trent Baalke. Gutekunst impressed the 49ers in his interview and is a frontrunner as of now, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets, before adding Shanahan could have a say in this matter.

Recent Packers promoted executives Gutekunst and Eliot Wolf were among the nine candidates to interview for the 49ers job, and Alex Marvez of the Sporting News confirms Breer’s report about positive buzz coming out of the Gutekunst-49ers summit (Twitter link). Marvez adds the 49ers are have pared this list down and bring in finalists for secondary interviews this week. It can be assumed the 43-year-old Gutekunst, an 18-year Packers employee, is one of the finalists. One of the candidates, Cardinals VP of player personnel Terry McDonough, preferred Shanahan throughout this process, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com notes (on Twitter).

As for Shanahan, he appears to have a relatively clear path to his first HC job. The 49ers do not plan to restart the interview process after highly touted candidate Josh McDaniels withdrew his name from consideration. The 37-year-old assistant is “by far” the 49ers’ top option, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets, and although he cannot be hired until after the Falcons’ season concludes, he can be brought in for a second interview after the NFC championship game if Atlanta advances to Super Bowl LI. That could be to discuss the GM job if the 49ers hold off on making that decision this week. He’s viewed as the favorite over Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable, something the 49ers have recognized privately in recent days, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes.

49ers To Interview Terry McDonough

January 11th, 2017 at 9:17am CST by Zachary Links

On Friday, the 49ers will interview Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough for their general manager vacancy, sources tell Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. McDonough is now the ninth known candidate presently in the mix for the position, as shown in PFR’s 49ers GM Search Tracker.

[RELATED: PFR’s 49ers GM Search Tracker]

The Niners have already interviewed Green Bay’s Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst, Minnesota’s George Paton, Carolina’s Brandon Beane, Indianapolis’ Jimmy Raye III, and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick. Seattle co-directors of player personnel Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner are also slated to be interviewed.

McDonough has spent four seasons with the Cardinals. For the last three seasons, he has been in charge of the college and pro personnel departments while assisting with the negotiations of player contracts. All in all, he has 25 years of NFL scouting on his resume.

Breer On GM Search, Harbaugh, Draft

December 17th, 2016 at 3:08pm CST by Zachary Links

When it comes to being a GM, is it more about who you know than what you know? In his latest column, Albert Breer of The MMQB spoke with one league official who suggested that the NFL’s career development advisory panel has something of a fraternity-vibe.

“It’s all full of nepotism. It’s a joke. And it starts with Charley Casserly,” the personnel man said.

Casserly rejected the idea that he, Ron Wolf, Bill Polian, Ernie Accorsi, John Madden, Tony Dungy and Carl Peterson are aiming to line up their friends with jobs, but he did acknowledge that connections help.

“It’s so different than it is with coaches,” Casserly said. “Coaches are so clearly defined. You know who calls the plays, you see them on TV, coordinators have press conferences. It’s just not like that in scouting. Are they pro? College? None of them are making big decisions. What you need is networking. It’s not politicking.”

Casserly was directly involved with the Jets’ coach and GM search process in 2015. Gang Green wound up hiring Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan – two former co-workers of Casserly’s.

Here’s more from Breer:

Breer identified the following executives as people who could immediately jump into a GM job somewhere: Chiefs VP of player personnel Chris Ballard, Patriots VP of player personnel Nick Caserio, Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta, Seahawks co-director of player personnel Scott Fitterer, Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine, Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner, Cowboys assistant director of player personnel Will McClay, Cardinals VP of player personnel Terry McDonough, Vikings assistant GM George Paton, Falcons assistant GM Scott Pioli, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin, Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf.
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