Report: Patriots' McDaniels conflicted about accepting 49ers HC job

Josh McDaniels may be among the front-runners for the San Francisco 49ers' head coaching vacancy, but that doesn't mean he's a lock to accept the job.

Seemingly confirming that McDaniels is entertaining the possibility of making the move, a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk cites a league source indicating that the New England Patriots offensive coordinator has been reaching out to assistant coaches in an effort to put together a staff.

Florio makes reference to a thought shared by multiple insiders that the job would be his if he wants it, but says there's also a belief that McDaniels is conflicted about the possibility.

From Florio's report:

He has four young children, and there’s a strong desire to not uproot the family for a short-term stint on the other side of the country. As the Broncos coach in 2009 and most of 2010, McDaniels didn’t even get two full seasons to turn around the Broncos. Given San Francisco’s recent trend of parting ways with coaches (three left in roughly 24 months), there’s legitimate concern that McDaniels possibly won’t be coaching for an extended period of time.

McDaniels is one of several assistants thought to be in the running for the NFL's last remaining head coaching vacancy, joining Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Seattle Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable.

Both McDaniels and Shanahan, who are set to coach in next week's conference title games, wouldn't be able to accept a head coaching position until their respective teams are eliminated from the playoffs.

It remains to be seen whether the 49ers are willing to wait out that process before getting their new leadership in place.