New York Giants' defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has turned into quite possibly the most hotly sought-after NFL assistant coach when it comes to teams who are looking to fill head-coaching vacancies.
Fewell has now been contacted about interviewing for four of the six current openings in the NFL for head coaches. The Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers have all expressed interest in speaking with Fewell about their vacancies.
Fewell, 48, just completed his first season as Giants defensive coordinator. The Giants finished seventh overall in NFL defensive rankings. They forced 39 turnovers after forcing just 24 a season ago. Fewell was defensive coordinator in Buffalo from 2006-2009, and spent part of 2009 as the Bills' interim head coach.
The Panthers appear to have serious interest in Fewell, who is a North Carolina native. A report indicated that Panthers representatives were apparently in New York today to interview Fewell.
According to Panthers beat writer Darin Gantt for the Rock Hill Herald/Charlotte Observer, Perry Fewell is a "serious candidate" for the Panthers job and not just a "Rooney Rule" mandatory interview.
"I can promise you from conversations with folks up and down the building, Fewell is a very serious candidate here, and possibly a favorite," Gantt tweeted.
Fewell has an interview scheduled with the Broncos on Sunday, the only interview he reportedly has scheduled to date. It sounds as though he could be a serious candidate there if current Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh opts not to take the Denver job.
Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News reported that Fewell could also be a serious candidate for the San Francisco job.