The San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons are not wasting time in their search for a new head coach after parting with Jim Harbaugh and Mike Smith, respectively, in the past 24 hours.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports the two organizations have already requested permission to speak with Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
Widely viewed as one of the NFL's bright, young offensive minds, Gase garnered interest for head-coaching vacancies last year as well.
Opting to concentrate on the Broncos' Super Bowl run, he turned down an opportunity to interview with the Cleveland Browns last January.
Gase's strength is working with quarterbacks and scheming matchup advantages in the passing game, an attractive quality for a 49ers franchise with a top priority of turning Colin Kaepernick's stalled career around.
The 49ers are also expected to consider current defensive line coach Jim Tomsula as well as defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Gase's strong relationship with established franchise quarterback Peyton Manning likely factored into the Falcons' interest in pairing him with Matt Ryan, one of the NFL's top 10 passers.
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