Green Bay Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf pulled his name out of the running for the vacant general manager job with the San Francisco 49ers when it became apparent that he wasn't going to be hired, per Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Another Packers executive is believed to be the frontrunner for the job. That would be director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst.
"It's been Gutekunst for two weeks," said one source close to the 49ers' search via McGinn. "He killed that interview. The owner says he's Scot McCloughan without the drinking problem."
Of course, McCloughan, who is now with the Washington Redskins, was the general manager the 49ers hired in 2005 along with head coach Mike Nolan. The pair built the roster that would eventually be inherited by Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh.
The 49ers had hoped to meet with Wolf for a second interview next week, presumably on Tuesday, along with several others. Those executives' names include Gutekunst, George Paton of the Minnesota Vikings, and perhaps Terry McDonough of the Arizona Cardinals.
"Gutekunst, McDonough and Paton figure to meet separately with the 49ers executives and then also with [head coach to be Kyle] Shanahan," McGinn writes.
Wolf reportedly received a new contract from the Packers and is expected to receive a new title to go along with it. He is considered to be a top candidate to replace current Packers general manager Ted Thompson when the 64-year-old decides to step down.
Gutekunst has been within the Packers' player personnel department for 18 years, serving as a scout and eventually the director of college scouting. He was promoted to director of player personnel in 2016.
"If the 49ers offer the GM job to Gutekunst and he accepts, Thompson is expected to let him leave immediately even if the Packers reach the Super Bowl," reveals McGinn.
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