49ers Draw Closer to Potentially Hire This Coach as Defensive Coordinator

The search for a defensive coordinator has been slow and silent for the San Francisco 49ers.

Not much traction has been gained on hiring a coach for the position. Gus Bradley is one candidate the 49ers are looking at, but it's unclear as to who else.

One reason the 49ers may be moving slowly to hire a defensive coordinator is that they are waiting on Jim Schwartz. He has been with the Cleveland Browns as their defensive coordinator since 2023.

The Browns' defense has been regarded as one of the better units in the NFL since Schwartz took over. He's given the 49ers fits before. He'd make for an excellent replacement for Robert Saleh.

However, Schwartz has been interviewing to become the next head coach of the Browns. That was holding him up until today, when the Browns hired Todd Monken as their head coach.

A pathway to Jim Schwartz is opening up

With Schwartz no longer able to become the head coach, it can mean he will be on the way out of Cleveland. Usually, a head coaching change means most, if not the whole staff, is gone.

But it is complicated with the Browns. It seems they want Schwartz to remain on the team. He is still under contract after all. Schwartz would have to abide by his contractual obligations.

However, it seems the situation is a mess. Schwartz interviewed extensively with the Browns to be their head coach. Yet, they passed him for Monken, a first-time head coach.

Schwartz isn't taking too kindly to that, according to reports. It makes sense since his time was being wasted. Besides, why would he want to remain in a dumpster fire organization in the same role?

#Browns DC Jim Schwartz was upset at being passed over for HC and told coaches he doesn’t plan on staying in Cleveland, sources tell The Insiders.

Schwartz is under contract and the team wants him but it’s a situation that at the very least needs to be worked through. pic.twitter.com/wdHYELSYkK
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 28, 2026

At least if he were a head coach, the raise and prestige would make it worth it. Now, Schwartz will be looking for a way out of his contract.

If he somehow achieves that, the 49ers will be all over Schwartz. He is the reason the 49ers run a wide-nine defensive front, and is a coach Kyle Shanahan greatly admires.

"I’ve got a lot of respect for Jim. I think he's one of the best who does it," Shanahan said in Week 13. But, when I first started as a coordinator in Houston back when I was 28, 29, going against him in Tennessee is where it started when they had Vanden Bosch, Albert Haynesworth, Jevon Kearse, they were doing the wide-nines then. And that's why I always wanted wide-nines and we got that with [defensive line coach Kris] Kocurek.”

It will be difficult to imagine the Browns doing right by Schwartz with a release from his contract.

I think they will keep him on and force him to exit his contract through other means. But the bright side is that the 49ers' hopes of hiring Schwartz are alive.

That became possible once he wasn't hired to be the head coach. All the 49ers need is for him to become a free agent, then they can full-court press him to be their next defensive coordinator.

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A pathway to Jim Schwartz is opening up

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