Despite struggling with a down year in the 2024 season, the San Francisco 49ers remain one of the premier franchises in the NFL. Often ahead of the curve on the field and in the front office, the Niners are a team that others often look to for inspiration.
If you have any doubts about that still holding true, consider that a key member of the San Francisco front office is suddenly in contention for an open GM job.
#49ers director of Scouting and Football Operations Josh Williams has been requested to interview for the #Jaguars GM job, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 4, 2025
The Columbia grad has been with the organization for 14 years and has worked with both the pro and college side of the scouting department.
49ers Exec Josh Williams Requested to Interview for Jaguars GM Job
The Jacksonville Jaguars have reached out to request permission to interview Josh Williams, the 49ers' director of scouting and football operations, for their open GM role.
Williams has spent 14 years in San Francisco, working his way up through the organization. This season was only his first with this title as a director, and previously he'd been an area scout (2017 to 2021) and a national scout (2022 and 2023). This new role gave him experience with contract negotiations and player development, adding to his impressive scouting experience to form a solid resume for a GM role.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to be able to point to Brock Purdy as a draft pick made under your watch either.
The Jags need a new GM after waiting a bit and firing Trent Baalke after the season. Firing Baalke and bringing in a new head coach in Liam Coen without having a GM place doesn't exactly inspire confidence that the organization is being well managed.
But if Williams is looking to fast-track his career advancement, going to a lesser organization to receive a significant promotion could be hard to turn down. He certainly won't have the chance to advance into a GM role with the 49ers any time soon, considering how well John Lynch has done in the role.