49ers making a 'late push' to keep assistant Joe Woods, per report

Regardless of what San Francisco 49ers passing-game coordinator and defensive backs coach Joe Woods decides to do with his NFL future, he stands to get a nice pay raise. Woods is reportedly the Cleveland Browns' top choice for defensive coordinator, but his current team may not be willing to simply let him walk away after one season.

Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reports that the 49ers are making a late push to keep the valuable assistant on head coach Kyle Shanahan's staff.



Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and Woods spent eight seasons together as assistants in Minnesota from 2006 through 2013.

The 49ers are preparing to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. San Francisco's defense finished the regular season as the league's No. 2 ranked unit overall and No. 1 against the pass, allowing just 169.2 passing yards per game. Woods has been considered a key factor in the pass defense's success this season.

Why would Woods even consider passing on a defensive coordinator job to stay in San Francisco? One Twitter user had an interesting theory.


H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.

More San Francisco 49ers News

• 49ers have learned to keep secrets, but is this a good thing?

  For years, the San Francisco 49ers had a reputation for being one of the easiest NFL teams to get information from. Not because the team was particularly transparent, but because information seemed to find its way out of the building. That changed in 2017. Since Kyle Shanahan...
  Read Article

• 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan admits car accident was his fault, corrects initial report

  San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan met with reporters on Tuesday in his office, marking his first media availability since the July 14 car accident that left him with several injuries. Initial reports indicated that the other driver—a 21-year-old woman behind the...
  Read Article

• 49ers veterans report to training camp as 2026 season preparations begin

  San Francisco 49ers veterans are set to report to the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara today for the start of training camp. The team's first full-squad practice is scheduled for Sunday as the 49ers begin preparations for the 2026 season. Rookies reported one week ago,...
  Read Article

• Fowler: 49ers a fit for Vita Vea after trade request

  ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler does not yet have any inside information on which teams may have contacted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about a potential trade for defensive tackle Vita Vea. However, that did not stop him from identifying five teams that could make sense as trade...
  Read Article