When it was reported that the San Francisco 49ers are planning to hire Raheem Morris as their defensive coordinator over Gus Bradley, it came as no surprise that he began looking at other opportunities.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Feb. 1, citing a source, that the Niners are hiring former Atlanta Falcons head coach to be their defensive coordinator. Morris was one of three candidates that San Francisco spoke to over their opening.
On Jan. 29, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported, citing a source, that the 49ers had interviewed Morris, Bradley, and Joe Woods for their vacant defensive coordinator position. Nonetheless, Bradley has reportedly landed the same position elsewhere.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported on Feb. 2, citing a source, that the Tennessee Titans are working to hire Bradley as their new defensive coordinator. Moreover, Bradley would be joining former Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who took the Titans job this past offseason.
Insider Reveals Key Reason for Raheem Morris Hire
In the end, the Niners chose Morris, a familiar face for Kyle Shanahan. The connection and friendship with the former Falcons head coach factored into the decision, at least according to 49ers reporter Grant Cohn of On SI.
“I love this hire,” Cohn said in a Feb. 1 video on X about Morris reportedly becoming the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. “This is great news because Raheem Morris is not Gus Bradley, who would have been a freaking disaster. It seems like the Niners are really considering hiring him. Good thing that we all publicly shamed them into not doing that.
“Would I have liked them to hire Jim Schwartz? It would have been cool. He runs the wide nine, and he’s older than Kyle Shanahan. He’s not his friend. That would have been an interesting dynamic, but that was never going to happen. Kyle likes working with his friends. We all do. Kyle is great friends with Raheem Morris.”
49ers Told to Avoid Gus Bradley
Furthermore, Cohn recently shared that, among the three candidates, Morris was the best, ahead of Bradley and Woods.
“Then you got Raheem Morris, who’s legitimately an excellent defensive coordinator,” Cohn said in a video posted on X on Jan. 29. “No sarcasm whatsoever. He was the defensive coordinator for the Rams a few years ago when they won the Super Bowl, and he has head coaching experience. He would be pretty great, except he doesn’t run the wide nine, and the Niners would have to evolve. Oh my God, what a nightmare. Then there’s Gus Bradley, who hasn’t evolved at all in the last 15 years.
“Of course, the Niners brought him in so he could study Robert Saleh, who evolved all the time, and they’re really hoping that Gus Bradley won’t be the next Steve Wilks, who was brought in to run someone else’s scheme. If the choice comes down to Gus Bradley and Raheem Morris, it’s a no‑brainer. It’s got to be Morris.”
Morris will be inheriting Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. It will be interesting to see how the new San Francisco defensive coordinator uses his two top defensive players next season and whether he can boost a unit that recorded only 20 sacks, ranking last in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference.
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