San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Thursday morning. He provided an update on defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who is expected to be a hot candidate for NFL head coaching vacancies.
We already knew of the Houston Texans' and Denver Broncos' interests. Lynch informed listeners that those aren't the only two teams, naming the Carolina Panthers among the others.
"DeMeco's got a lot more than that (the Texans and Broncos requests)," Lynch said on the Murph & Mac show. "I think it's Panthers, Texans, Broncos."
Lynch admitted that he is forgetting one other team, so there is another expressing interest in the defensive coordinator. Later, the 49ers revealed the other team. It is the Arizona Cardinals.
Per the 49ers, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans has now received interview requests from:
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) January 12, 2023
* Denver
* Houston
* Carolina
* Arizona
"He's got a lot," Lynch added. "... The league does a nice job in terms of setting things up, so coaches like DeMeco, who are playing in the [Wild Card] Round, they can't even interview until next Tuesday. DeMeco's interviews will probably happen later in the week, next week, but we've got to take care of business with Seattle. That's where DeMeco's focus is.
"He's earned the right to be coveted by a lot of teams. He's extraordinary at his job. And we want the best for DeMeco, and if that includes coming back here, we'd be thrilled to have him."
Ryans has been with the 49ers since 2017, replacing Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator in 2021. His defense finished the 2022 regular season ranked No. 1 in points and yards allowed per game and is preparing for a Wild Card Round playoff matchup on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks.
"I'm thankful and happy to be in the playoffs at this time," Ryans told reporters on Wednesday. "The interviews and those things, they'll take care of themselves at the right time. The focus is all about Seattle for me. It's all about that, what can we do. How can I help our guys be in position to go and win this game on Saturday? That's the focus. The interviews, all those things, they'll take care of themselves."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.