49ers looking at Falcons Director of Football Operations Nick Polk for GM opening

The 49ers are apparently just going to look to poach as many Falcons staffers as they can, in the hopes that some magic from that legendary Atlanta franchise might rub off on the historically woebegone San Francisco team.

This makes sense in a few different ways. Kyle Shanahan is going to be given huge control over the future of the 49ers franchise, including major input into personnel, so the 49ers didn’t necessarily need a GM with a strong background in scouting, even if I imagine that would be extremely helpful. Polk has a ton of experience negotiating contracts, drawing up contracts, and managing the salary cap in Atlanta, where he has spent 12 years. The 49ers may very well value that experience, especially given that they’re about to sink a ton of money into free agency in the year ahead.

If Polk does head to Atlanta, the Falcons will need to find a replacement for him, but fortunately their front office is pretty well loaded with eggheads, so they’ll likely be able to promote from within. We’ll see how many Atlanta staffers the 49ers wind up carting away before all is said and done.