The San Francisco 49ers must have been listening to the KNBR interview with former team head coach Mike Nolan on Tuesday morning. A name that he mentioned as someone that should be on the 49ers' radar has suddenly become a candidate for the general manager position. The 49ers plan to interview Arizona Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough on Friday, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area.
Nolan was asked who he would pick for the 49ers' general manager vacancy. "The number one guy who I hope gets an interview is Terry McDonough at Arizona," Nolan said. "Terry's not even one of the top guys. Let me tell you, Terry McDonough is an excellent candidate. He worked under [Ravens general manager] Ozzie Newsome for a number of years with [Ravens assistant general manager] Eric DeCosta back there. He knows how to pick players which is number one first and foremost and right now he's currently down at Arizona and they've done and outstanding job for the last four years. And he's the right-hand man to [Cardinals general manager] Steve Keim down there so Terry McDonough, in my opinion, he's number one on the list."
McDonough was part of the Cleveland Browns front office that relocated to Baltimore and became the Ravens. That is where he worked with Newsome and DeCosta – as mentioned by Nolan.
McDonough has scouted in the NFL for 25 years and has been with the Cardinals for four years. He was promoted to vice president of player personnel in January of 2014 and currently oversees both the college and pro personnel departments while assisting with player contract negotiations. Prior to that, McDonough was the director of player personnel for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Interestingly enough, McDonough was an intern with the 49ers in 1989. That's where his NFL career started.
Terry McDonough is the son of influential Boston Globe football reporter Will McDonough, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 67. He is also the older brother of Ryan McDonough, the general manager of the Phoenix Suns. Terry's other brother, Sean McDonough, is a sportscaster for ESPN.
"Terry is a highly regarded talent evaluator and I have the utmost confidence in his opinion," said Cardinals general manager Steve Keim when McDonough was promoted in 2014. "He was a key component to building a Super Bowl roster in Baltimore drafting players like Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed. His knowledge and experience will be a huge asset in our neverending quest to improve the roster."
Cardinals players respect McDonough as well. Prior to the start of the 2016 season, quarterback Carson Palmer was asked about the impact of the Arizona executive. "Huge. Huge impact," he said. "I mean, just look at the late-round picks that he's worked his butt off to get here."
"You see him at every single practice, bouncing around from position group to position group," Palmer continued. "He's just one of those personnel guru guys. He knows what can turn him off and not like a player and he knows what to look for to excite him about players."
McDonough is the ninth known candidate for the 49ers' vacant general manager position. The team has already met with Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst of the Green Bay Packers, George Paton of the Minnesota Vikings, Jimmy Raye III of the Indianapolis Colts, Brandon Beane of the Carolina Panthers, and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick. The 49ers also plan to meet with Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer of the Seattle Seahawks.
