The 49ers are scheduled to meet with Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase on Tuesday for a second meeting to discuss team’s vacant head-coaching job, an NFL source told CSNBayArea.com.
Gase, 36, appears to be emerging as a leading candidate to replace Jim Harbaugh, whose tenure with the 49ers ended in a “mutual parting” after four seasons. CEO Jed York, general manager Trent Baalke and president Paraag Marathe first interviewed Gase on Jan. 2.
Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula is considered the team’s top in-house candidate, multiple league sources told CSNBayArea.com. Vic Fangio, the 49ers' defensive coordinator, was the first candidate to interview for the head-coaching vacancy.
Gase just completed his second season as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator. In Gase’s first season as offensive coordinator, the Broncos set the NFL single-season scoring mark (606 points) and became the first team in 45 years to top 50 points in three separate games. Broncos averaged 37.9 points and 457.9 yards per game.
This season, the Broncos ranked No. 4 offense in total yards in the NFL, and ranked No. 2 with 30.1 points per game.
Coach John Fox and the Broncos announced a mutual parting on Monday, one day after Denver was eliminated from the playoffs with 24-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Gase, who is close to quarterback Peyton Manning, could be a candidate for the Broncos’ opening, too.
Gase previously worked for the 49ers in 2008, as he came to the organization with offensive coordinator Mike Martz. He previously worked alongside Martz with the Detroit Lions and rose to the position of quarterbacks coach.
After his one season with the 49ers, Gase moved on to the Broncos, where he coached wide receivers in 2009 and ’10 before coaching quarterbacks in 2011 and ’12.
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