Terry McDonough to have second interview with 49ers for GM job
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Terry McDonough, theArizona Cardinals' vice president of player personnel, will have a second interview with the San Francisco 49ers for their general manager vacancy, a source confirmed to ESPN.
The meeting will take place Saturday in Atlanta.
San Francisco is scheduled to meet again with Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who is expected to be involved with McDonough's interview. The Niners can't officially hire Shanahan as head coach until after the Falcons play in Super Bowl LI. The earliest date is Feb. 6.
McDonough is one of two known candidates to get a second interview with San Francisco. The other is Minnesota Vikings assistant general manager George Paton, who also will be in Atlanta to interview with 49ers officials on Friday. Paton is expected to interview for the Colts' GM job on Wednesday, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
The Arizona Republic first reported the news of McDonough's second interview.
Saturday's interview is another step toward McDonough's career coming full circle.
He broke into NFL scouting as an intern with the Niners in 1989. San Francisco went 14-2 that season and won Super Bowl XXIV. That kick-started a scouting career in the NFL. McDonough completed his 25th season in 2016.
McDonough recently completed his fourth season with the Cardinals, including his third as the team's vice president for player personnel. As the person who oversees both the professional and collegiate personnel departments, as well as assists with player contracts, McDonough has helped the Cardinals go 41-22-1 since 2013.
McDonough's first full-time job in the NFL was as the southeast area scout for the Cleveland Browns. Four years later he moved with the franchise to Baltimore and eventually became the team's eastern college supervisor for three years. The Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV while McDonough was on staff.
In 2003, McDonough was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars and was promoted to their director of player personnel in 2009.
He joined Arizona in 2013 as the Cardinals' eastern regional scout and was promoted a year later when Jason Licht left the Cardinals to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' general manager.
