Riddick says he'd be 49ers' GM if McDaniels took head coaching job

Louis Riddick, a former NFL personnel executive and current ESPN analyst, was among the many candidates interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers' general manager job this offseason.

San Francisco went in a different direction, however, when it became clear Kyle Shanahan would come aboard as the new head coach, eventually bringing former All-Pro safety John Lynch out of the broadcast booth to lead the rebuild.

Explaining the process in an appearance on ESPN Radio on Thursday, Riddick said he'd be the 49ers' general manager if Josh McDaniels hadn't removed himself from the coaching search to remain the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator.

"That was very, very, very close," Riddick said, according to Kevin Jones of KNBR. "The way that was set up, look, San Francisco was very sensitive about the relationships between head coach and general manager there. That's something, right from the get-go, they made a priority. They were trying to look for matches as far as head coach and general manager. It wasn't a very well-kept secret - not that it was a secret anyway - that Josh McDaniels and myself are very close. We share a lot of the same philosophical ideas, just about all of them basically. Because he was taught the game at the highest level by Nick Saban and Bill Belichick just like I was.

"And that was pretty much the deal going in. It was either going to be him and I, or it wasn't. And Josh decided for his personal reasons that now wasn't a good time. And when he decided that, I was on board with that obviously. Therefore I wasn't in the running anymore."

Riddick stressed that he wasn't at all upset with the way things worked out in the interview process, adding that the decision was about nothing more than the pairing.

"It was a great opportunity," he said. "I had a great interview with Paraag Marathe and the owner, Jed York, in New York City. It went awesome. Got a lot of great feedback from them. I thought my plan was rock solid. And if it was something that would've worked out for Josh and myself, you know overall, then we would be there. But it had nothing to do with other than the fact that the pairing, it wasn't the right time for us to do that. And that's fine. That's fine. It's still something that I'm interested in for sure."

McDaniels will presumably remain a top head coaching candidate until a team can coax him away from his cushy gig at the helm of a powerhouse Patriots offense. Provided he's still available when that time comes, perhaps Riddick will be considered a favorite to join him as general manager.

Riddick made the transition to scouting not long after playing the final season of his career as a defensive back in 1998. Among the most prominent positions he held prior to spending the last four seasons at ESPN were director of pro personnel roles with the Washington Redskins (2005-2007) and the Philadelphia Eagles (2010-2013).