NFL coaching rumors 2016: 49ers interested in Mike Shula

The name Shula carries a lot of weight in South Florida, where Don Shula led the team to five Super Bowl appearances with two wins and where he accomplished the majority of his NFL record 347 victories. When there is another coach with the last name Shula who could become an NFL coach, there will always been interest from Dolphins fans.

That happens this offseason, where Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula, Don's son, is seen as a viable candidate for a head coaching position. Shula has said he will not interview with any team as long as the Panthers, who are the number one seed on the NFC side of the Playoff bracket, remain in the postseason tournament. That could mean, if Carolina is able to make it to the Super Bowl, teams are a month away from being able to interview Shula, with most teams likely to have filled their vacancy by then.

That will not stop teams from at least requesting an interview and letting Shula know they are interested in him. That appears to be the case for the San Francisco 49ers, who have requested an interview according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.

Shula's success in turning Panthers quarterback Cam Newton into an MVP candidate, and his past performance with David Garrard when Shula was the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterbacks coach, has teams taking notice of the 50-year-old Shula. He also has head coaching experience, albeit on the college level, having been the top coach at Alabama from 2003 to 2006.

If there is interest in Shula from any teams along with the 49ers, they do not risk losing Shula as long as the Panthers remain in the Playoffs. With Shula not wanting to interview with teams while the Panthers are in the Playoffs, the Dolphins, or any other teams that are interested in Shula, could wait to put in interview requests until they complete interviews with other candidates and they see how long the Panthers will remain in the postseason.