The 49ers will reportedly choose among Chip Kelly and Mike Shanahan to become the team’s next head coach.
The decision is expected to be made within the next 24 hours, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday. CSNBayArea.com reported earlier the 49ers expect to have their new coach in place by the end of Friday.
A source said the 49ers felt good about their final four candidates, including former New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.
Kelly was one of the first candidates to emerge after the 49ers announced the firing of Jim Tomsula just hours after the 49ers’ season-ending victory over the St. Louis Rams closed the door on a 5-11 season. Kelly, whom the Philadelphia Eagles fired on Dec. 30, interviewed with the 49ers last Thursday.
Shanahan was a candidate for the opening last season before the 49ers decided on Tomsula over runner-up Adam Gase. The NFL Network reported that Shanahan interviewed with the 49ers on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, another late candidate for the 49ers' job, Coughlin, is withdrawing his name from consideration for the Eagles job, Schefter reported.
Coughlin had a second interview with the Eagles on Thursday. A source said Coughlin was wary about the Eagles' front-office structure with Howie Roseman back in charge as the team's general manager.
Kelly assumed personnel duties from Roseman last year, and made several controversial decisions that seemed to contribute to his downfall with the Eagles. After back-to-back 10-6 seasons, Kelly was fired when the Eagles fell out of playoff contention with a 6-9 record.
