Eric

Mangini

After being fired by the Jets, Mangini spent a few years at ESPN and recently reentered the coaching ranks as a 49ers assistant. He was the Niners’ tight ends coach in 2014. It’s worth noting the Niners’ tight ends had an absolutely awful season as a unit, though we wouldn’t necessarily blame Mangini. Either way, Mangini would certainly be an outside-the-box hire for the Raiders.

Mangini interviewed for the Raiders’ head-coaching job three weeks ago, so he could already be on good footing with GM Reggie McKenzie. Ex-Falcons coach Mike Smith was initially considered the favorite to run Jack Del Rio’s defense, but that is now viewed as unlikely. Mangini would be a decent fallback.

It’s a loss for football fans who value strong TV analysis during the week. Mangini was hard to love as a head coach for the Jets (2006-2008) and Browns (2009-2010) due to the borderline-paranoid way he handled his teams and all things associated with them, but in just a couple of years had become one of the better NFL analysts around. Still only 42, Mangini may well resurface as a defensive coordinator or head coaching candidate as soon as 2014 or 2015. His primary background has been defense, although Mangini was an offensive assistant in Baltimore under Ozzie Newsome in 1996. He’ll work on Colin Kaepernick, Frank Gore, Anquan Boldin, and Vernon Davis’ side of the ball in San Francisco.

“That’s definitely a goal of mine,” Mangini said. “Right now, I’m doing what I can do here as well as I can do it. I think it’s every coach’s goal to eventually do that.” It’s an understandable desire, but Mangini could have a hard time getting a third chance following his turgid, losing tenures with the Jets and Browns.

It was a contingency plan, with QBs coach Geep Chryst ticketed to succeed Roman as coordinator. As Roman never emerged as a serious HC candidate, Jim Harbaugh has no plans to shake up his staff. Still, it’s a reminder Mangini is very much an active part of what’s happening in San Fran. We wouldn’t be shocked to see Mangini resurface in a prominent coaching role in a year or two.

Jeff Ireland would obviously have to get the boot first, but beat writer Armando Salguero composed an interesting list of candidates to replace Ireland. It leads off with Mangini. Owner Stephen Ross reportedly wanted to hire Mangini before the 2011 season, and Ross supposedly “loves” Mangini for reasons Salguero “is not clear on.” Word is Mangini wants to get involved in front office operations. Other notable names listed as possible Ireland replacements are ex-Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, ex-Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, and current assistant GM Brian Gaine.

January rumors had the Niners considering moving Mangini to QBs coach, but that was contingent upon losing OC Greg Roman to a head-coaching job, which never happened. Mangini, 43, is succeeding Reggie Davis, who was moved from tight ends coach to co-offensive line coach. “He did a great job, invaluable to us last year,” coach Jim Harbaugh said of Mangini. “He’s a helluva coach.”

Mangini met with new coach Chip Kelly last week, and this report suggests the meeting went well. Mangini’s defense played well last season despite being put in terrible situations by an inept offense. The offense should be better under Kelly, but Mangini’s job will not be any easier. The Eagles defense faced the most plays in the league in two of Kelly’s seasons in charge and the second most in 2014.

Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reported earlier this week there was a “strong possibility” the 49ers would retain Mangini but that obviously isn’t happening. The 49ers were all-in on Texans LBs coach Mike Vrabel but he took himself out of the running on Thursday. That leaves current Niners LBs coach Jason Tarver and Ravens LBs coach Don Martindale as the top candidates for San Francisco’s vacant defensive coordinator job. Former Eagles DC Billy Davis is also available after being replaced by Jim Schwartz earlier this week.

Read nothing into Mangini’s “TEs coach” title. He was a defensive-minded coach from 1997-2005 with the Jets and Patriots before taking head-coaching jobs with the Jets and Browns. Mangini also interviewed for the Raiders’ head-coaching vacancy last week, but he’s not viewed as a strong candidate for the job.