The Houston Texans are reportedly hiring San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to be their next head coach, signing him to a six-year deal. The Texans first interviewed Ryans on January 20, ahead of the 49ers' Divisional Round playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. They conducted a second interview on Tuesday morning in Houston.
The #Texans and #49ers DC DeMeco Ryans have agreed to terms and he'll be their new head coach, sources say. A homecoming for one of the franchise's great leaders, as Houston gets its top choice. This will be announced today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2023
Ryans also interviewed with the Denver Broncos on January 19 but informed the team he was no longer interested in their head coaching job. The Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts had hoped to interview Ryans, but the defensive coordinator canceled those meetings to focus on the 49ers' playoff run, which ended Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ryans has been with the 49ers since 2017, replacing current New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator in 2021. His defense finished the 2022 regular season ranked No. 1 in points and yards allowed per game. Before serving as defensive coordinator, Ryans served as a linebackers coach (2018-20) and a defensive quality control coach (2017).
Ryans played linebacker in the NFL for 10 seasons—six with the Houston Texans and four with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2007, 2009) and a first-team All-Pro (2007).
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was an assistant coach with Houston when the Texans made Ryans a second-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.
"He's the ideal leader, whatever he does," Shanahan recently shared. "He was that way when he came into Houston as a rookie linebacker. He took over that defense right away. You could tell he was in charge when he was a 21-year-old. He came in here as a quality control [coach], and within like six months, we moved him to linebacker coach. He's just always been that guy.
"And then just watching him over these two years, what he took in his years learning to get there—he runs his system, and then he adjusts every week. He sees how to play an offense. He pays attention to offense and defense. I thought he was ready last year to be a head coach."