It’s Black Monday in the NFL, and despite the fact that the Denver Broncos have their eyes set on a Super Bowl run, t hey are not exempt from the festivities. With earlier reports today that Jack Del Rio could be on the Oakland Raiders’ short list of head coaching candidates came news from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter that offensive coordinator Adam Gase could be on the short list of the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.
The #49ers have also asked permission to speak with #Broncos OC Adam Gase, source says. They join the #Falcons
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 29, 2014
Either move would be interesting for Gase, and better for Broncos fans than the other alternative, which is joining another AFC West team like Mike McCoy and Dennis Allen have done. Gase received head coaching interest last offseason, so the Broncos knew this would be coming, and it’s highly likely they’ll grant their coordinator permission to interview for jobs while they have their bye week this week in preparation for their playoff game in two weeks.
I wondered earlier today on Twitter about the possibility of Gase with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, and apparently I’m not alone. It seems like it would be a logical fit, pairing a young offensive guru who has risen in the coaching ranks over the last seven or eight years with a guy who has seemingly hit a road block in his once sterling NFL career.
Matt Ryan is not the player he once was, but the Falcons are also not the team they once were. There’s plenty to work with in Atlanta, but perhaps even more so in San Francisco with one of the most stacked rosters in the league. The problem? The guys in the front office couldn’t get along with the most sought after head coach in all of football, Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh went to the NFC Championship game in his first three seasons with the Niners, but there wasn’t any mutual love in the front office with GM Trent Baalke, who reportedly tried to trade Harbaugh to the Cleveland Browns this past offseason.
Now, the Niners and Harbaugh have mutually parted ways and he is reportedly in line to coach at Michigan. That’s neither here nor there, but it is something Gase should consider if and when he interviews for that job, which seems like the best job available right now. If that opportunity knocks, Gase should absolutely take it.