Former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan is returning to the NFL sidelines.
The New Orleans Saints are hiring the 57-year-old to coach linebackers next season, according to Sirius XM NFL Radio.
Nolan took the year off football after serving as the Chargers linebackers coach in 2015. He appeared often on the NFL’s Sirius XM channel and NFL Network and was the defensive coordinator for the Broncos, Dolphins and Falcons earlier in the decade.
Nolan complied an 18-37 record in three-and-a-half seasons in San Francisco before being fired midseason in 2008.
Nolan appeared on KNBR with Murph and Mac earlier in January and offered up Terry McDonough as a valuable candidate. The very next day, the 49ers added him to the GM candidate list. McDonough was a finalist but did not get the job. Former All-Pro safety John Lynch did.
Nolan had this to say about the 2005 process of putting together the 49ers with GM Scot McCloughan.
“I hired Scot. I was looking for somebody that I felt was the best at picking players. Because that is ultimately the job of the general manager,” Nolan said. “I don’t care what else he can do. I mean, he might have the worst people skills in the world — if the guy knows a player and can pick the right guy, that’s what we were looking for and that’s what I was looking for.
“It sounds like what’s really important is that the two guys get along. You know, personally, that’s good, but Scot and I didn’t even know each other when we first got together. And they are looking so much for that. I just think if you’ve got somebody that you determine can work well with other people, and they’ve proven they have people skills and will do that…They don’t need to be joined at the hip. If they grow together, like any marriage, they can be successful.”
