49ers requested to interview Dirk Koetter on Tuesday

It seems the interest in Dirk Koetter was undersold publicly. With news coming out that the Miami Dolphins requested to interview him and reports that the Philadelphia Eagles are interested it was clear that he was a fairly hot commodity. Now it seems the San Francisco 49ers requested an interview on Tuesday -- and they still haven't heard back from the Bucs, according to Adam Schefter.

That's a little strange, given the fact that the Bucs have to give permission -- requesting it is essentially a formality. It's yet another indicator that the Bucs are targeting Dirk Koetter as their next head coach, and it's likely why they made the decision to fire Lovie Smith when they did -- last night, over the phone.

Of course, the next question is whether Koetter even wants to be head coach in Tampa. It's unlikely the Bucs made the move they did without at least talking to him, and it is a pretty good job given the presence of Jameis Winston and a lot of young talent on the roster. But it seems like Koetter will have his pick of teams, and the Bucs may not be a slam dunk choice for him.

Regardless, the Bucs can't hire him until they've interviewed a minority candidate to satisfy the Rooney Rule. And in the mean time, Koetter can interview with every other team that wants him.