Kyle Shanahan’s search for a key defensive coach just hit an unexpected wall, thanks to a rival’s decision in Las Vegas. With Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak looking to promote assistant Rob Leonard and retain defensive pass-game coordinator Joe Woods, the San Francisco 49ers seem to have just lost out on their coaching target.

The Athletic’s 49ers correspondent, Matt Barrows, made it known that Kyle Shanahan was considering bringing in Joe Woods as their defensive backs coach.

“49ers had been considering Woods for their vacant defensive backs coach position,” he wrote on X.

It’s a big blow for Kyle Shanahan, who wanted a veteran presence coaching his defensive backs, and Woods brings more than three decades of coaching experience, including over 20 years in the NFL. The 49ers’ defense, while competitive overall, allowed touchdowns on 53.8 percent of red-zone trips and surrendered conversions on 40.1 percent of third downs.

Even amid a turbulent season in Las Vegas, the Raiders finished 14th in passing yards allowed under Woods, which is pretty respectable. This was his second stint with the organization, having previously served as DBs coach in Oakland 12 years ago, and he also spent three seasons with Cleveland from 2020 to 2022 and subsequently served as the defensive coordinator for the Saints.

That Saints tenure is where he overlapped with Kubiak (for one year), and the familiarity likely factored into the decision to retain him, because in those two seasons, Woods’ defenses ranked ninth in third-down conversion percentage allowed at 37.7 percent and fourth in fourth-down defense at 47.2 percent over his two seasons in New Orleans.

It’s pretty evident why Kubiak values continuity when it comes to Woods, and why Shanahan saw him as a fit in San Francisco, who will now have to pivot. The Niners recently added Roman Sapolu, formerly of the Dolphins, and the son of longtime 49ers lineman Jesse Sapolu, but the defensive backs vacancy is still open. Add in the fact that they may need a new tight ends coach.

Brian Fleury interviews for the rival team

The Seattle Seahawks delivered one of the most lopsided losses the 49ers endured all season, a 41-6 result that effectively shut the door on San Francisco’s postseason hopes, and now, they might hand them another blow by hiring 49ers’ tight ends coach, Brian Fleury.

The Seahawks are in the market for a new offensive coordinator and have cast a rather wide net, with reporter Corbin K. Smith noting that Seattle began by lining up several in-house interviews, including Justin Outten, Andrew Janocko, Jake Peetz, and Mack Brown.

They haven’t limited the search to the building, as Connor Senger, pass game specialist for the Cardinals, was among the first external candidates to interview. Now, Seattle has turned its attention to San Francisco’s tight ends coach and run game coordinator Brian Fleury, who has a pretty long resume.

He spent two seasons as offensive quality control coach before taking over the tight ends room, and he also served as a defensive quality control coach in 2019. Before arriving in San Francisco, he held roles with the Browns and the Bills.

The 49ers’ run game was a letdown this season, finishing 24th in rushing yards, 30th in yards per attempt, though 10th in EPA, but still, it was simply not good enough. The tight end room, however, remained productive, as George Kittle posted 57 receptions for 628 yards and 7 touchdowns, while Jake Tonges also had a 293-yard and 5-score season.

For Shanahan, losing such a familiar face would be complicated, and the new hiring decision will have to be made very carefully.