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San Francisco 49er quarterback coach Brian Griese prior to the game against the Chicago Bears

The San Francisco 49ers have grown to dread the NFL offseason. While free agency and the NFL draft bring optimism to every organization in hopes of building a Super Contender, the 49ers see the offseason as a curse. Usually preceded by a heart-breaking playoff loss, the offseason leaves a looming feeling of what or who the team will lose rather than gain. For the most part, San Francisco has done a fantastic job maneuvering through coaching departures and roster transactions. And after a 6-11 season, avoiding an offseason with distraction and outside noise seemed plausible for the first time since 2020. Unfortunately, the NFL has other plans.

As the 49ers embark on their own search to replace three coordinators, the rest of the league is doing the same.

One team San Francisco has a connection with is the New York Jets. Whether it is plucking each other’s players during free agency or coach swapping, the two teams have been intertwined since 2021. Now, with the 49ers going all in to bring Robert Saleh back to San Francisco , the Jets are attempting to steal a coach from the Red and Gold.

Jets Request Interview with Brian Griese

The New York Jets are searching high and low to find a new regime capable of turning around their sinking ship. Owner Woody Johnson is as hands-on as ever. They hired the 33rd Team , a conglomerate of current and former NFL players, coaches, and executives working as online football analysts, to help spearhead the search, leading them to the San Francisco 49ers.

According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter , the Jets requested to interview San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback coach Brian Griese for their vacant head coach position.

The news was odd, at first, considering Griese has never called plays in the NFL and only has four years of coaching experience. Not to mention, it would be quite the jump from quarterback coach to head coach without taking the proper incremental stops to reach that level.

However, Griese put to rest any possibility of leaving the 49ers’ staff this offseason.

Brian Costello, Jets reporter for the New York Post , reported on Friday that Griese declined New York’s request for an interview. Costello did add a reason for the action, but of the 12 candidates the Jets have interviewed, Griese is the only one to turn down the opportunity.

Griese’s decision, whatever the reasoning, is a good sign for the 49ers heading into a pivotal 2025 offseason.

What Griese’s Return Signifies

The 49ers have made it to the NFC Championship and Super Bowl in two of the last three seasons. They will also sign quarterback Brock Purdy to a lucrative contract extension sometime this offseason. The deal may even break the $300 million plateau, resetting the quarterback market.

None of their success would be possible without Griese. In 2022, San Francisco was staunchly behind third-overall pick Trey Lance. However, in the offseason, Griese advocated for the team to draft Purdy with the final pick of the NFL Draft, citing his accuracy and processing ability.

Little did they know, but the 49ers were making a franchise-altering selection. Lance goes on to break his foot in Week 2, Jimmy Garoppolo steps in before getting injured past the halfway point of the season, and the rest is history.

Retaining Griese is important, not just for the team and quarterback room, but ultimately to continue Brock Purdy’s growth as he inks pen to an eventual brand new contract.

Sterling Bennett is a Heavy.com contributor covering the NFL. He has half a decade of experience as a sports broadcaster at 95.7 The Game covering the San Francisco 49ers as part of the weekly “Overtime” show, where he covered Super Bowl 58. Bennett was the Golden State Warriors Network Coordinator from 2020-2024, where he was responsible for all gameday radio broadcasts, including the 2022 NBA Finals. More about Sterling Bennett