The San Francisco 49ers have conducted an interview with Gerald Alexander, the safeties coach for the Las Vegas Raiders, for their vacant defensive coordinator position, as confirmed by a source to NBC Sports Bay Area on Friday. This news was initially reported by Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
Gerald Alexander, aged 39, is now among the confirmed candidates for the role, alongside Dave Merritt, the defensive backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, Nick Sorensen, the 49ers’ defensive pass game coordinator, Daniel Bullocks, the 49ers’ defensive backs coach, and Brandon Staley, the former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
During his NFL career, Alexander played for five years, including two seasons with the Detroit Lions, where he coincided with Daniel Bullocks. They were both second-round draft picks for the Lions, with Bullocks in 2006 and Alexander in 2007.
Alexander ventured into coaching in 2013 at Arkansas State and later moved through various college coaching positions at Washington, Indiana State, Montana State, and Cal.
In 2020, Alexander assumed the role of defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins before transitioning to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 as their assistant defensive backs coach.
Earlier this year, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce appointed Alexander as their safeties coach before his interview with the 49ers.
The vacancy for the 49ers’ defensive coordinator arose following the departure of Steve Wilks after just one season with the organization.