Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

49ers general manager search turns to Seattle execs Kirchner, Fitterer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers  have no set timeline for when they would like to hire a new coach and general manager. But the process of interviewing candidates is drawing closer to a conclusion, with the team set to meet with Seattle Seahawks co-directors of player personnel Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer on Monday.

Kirchner and Fitterer are expected to be the last of nine candidates to interview for the general manager vacancy created by the firing of Trent Baalke. The Niners already have interviewed Green Bay executives Brian Gutekunst and Eliot Wolf, Minnesota's George Paton, Indianapolis' Jimmy Raye III, Carolina's Brandon Beane, ESPN's Louis Riddick and Arizona's Terry McDonough for the general manager position.

While more candidates could emerge, the Niners are expected to make their selection from this group. Much of that decision will depend on which candidates pair well with the head coaching candidate the team prefers.

Here's a quick look at Kirchner's candidacy:

Experience: Kirchner attended St. John's (Minn.) University, playing quarterback for a couple of seasons. The story goes that as a senior, he drove to the scouting combine in Indianapolis and met John Schneider, who had just become the Seahawks' director of player personnel. Upon graduation, Kirchner took an internship in Seattle working in public relations and college scouting. He became college scouting coordinator in Washington the next year before moving on to Carolina as a pro scout in 2002. He held that job until 2010, when he returned to Seattle as the assistant director of pro personnel. He was promoted to his current role in 2015. Kirchner's primary role has been focused on the pro side of scouting, working in conjunction with Fitterer and reporting to Schneider. Some of the Seahawks' big moves with Kirchner included trades for Marshawn Lynch and Jimmy Graham and the free-agent signings of Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril.

Ties to the 49ers: There are no known ties between Kirchner and the Niners other than the familiarity he has built by facing off against them in the NFC West division over the years.

Competition: There are no other general manager jobs open right now and it doesn't appear that there will be any coming available. The real competition should the Niners want to hire Kirchner is whether they can offer a better opportunity than what he currently has and could have in the future at Seattle.

Here's a quick look at Fitterer's candidacy:

Experience: The 43-year-old has been with the Seahawks since 2001, first as an area scout working in the western region. He held that position for five seasons before moving to director of college scouting. In that role, Fitterer had a hand in drafting key pieces such as Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner. He was promoted to his current position alongside Kirchner in 2015 and interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles for their general manager job that offseason. His expertise has mostly been on the college side. Fitterer's athletic background includes a college baseball career at LSU and a pair of seasons in the minor league system of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Ties to the 49ers: There are no known ties between Fitterer and the Niners other than the familiarity he has built by facing off against them in the NFC West division for the past 15 or so years.

Competition: There are no other general manager jobs open right now and it doesn't appear that there will be any coming available. The real competition should the Niners want to hire Fitterer is whether they can offer a better opportunity than what he currently has and could have in the future at Seattle.

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