SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Jed York and Paraag Marathe are on the road for another round of interviews, but this time the 49ers brass will have another high-profile figure to help them ask questions: Kyle Shanahan.
The team will meet with the Falcons offensive coordinator Friday afternoon in Atlanta, and Shanahan was expected to be part of an interview with general manager candidate George Paton later in the evening. The group then is scheduled to meet with a second general manager hopeful, Terry McDonough, on Saturday.
The 49ers first met with Shanahan on Jan. 7. They are allowed a second interview before the Falcons head to Houston for their week of Super Bowl preparations, and Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn permitted Shanahan's sessions to occur on Friday and Saturday.
The 49ers also already have met once with Paton, the Vikings' assistant general manager, and McDonough, the Cardinals' vice president of player personnel. Neither has worked with Shanahan in the past, however, and the current round of interviews is designed to gauge compatibility with Shanahan, the 49ers' presumptive head coach.
If the match-making process isn't successful, the 49ers could reopen their general manager search. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik, who currently works as an analyst on ESPN, has been mentioned as a possibility.
Paton also is one of six candidates the Indianapolis Colts are pondering for their opening at general manager.
