It’s all about familiarity for the 49ers in 2025.
It’s all about familiarity for the San Francisco 49ers in 2025. They’re expected to bring back former Vice President of Player Personnel Ethan Waugh to the front office, according to KRPC’s Aaron Wilson.
Waugh spent the past three years as the assistant general manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars, which came after 17 years with the 49ers organization.
Waugh was a key member of the 49ers’ personnel department before his departure, working his way up the ladder over 18 years. He began as a personnel assistant (2004-08), then became a regional scout (2008-11), a senior personnel assistant (2012-14), a senior player personnel coordinator (2015-17), director of college scouting and football systems (2018-21), and finally ended as the Vice President of Player Personnel from 2021-22.
He then joined former 49ers general manager Trent Baalke, who was with the organization in 2016, with the Jacksonville Jaguars, being in that role until this offseason. When Baalke was fired back in late January, Waugh was named as the interim general manager, helping the Jaguars in their search.
Jacksonville ultimately landed on Los Angeles Rams executive James Gladstone, who was hired in February, and Waugh was kept along for the time being. However, as the Jaguars went through a full organizational restructure, Waugh was let go after the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now, he’s coming back to the 49ers, although the role he’ll re-join in is unclear.
The 49ers front office has changed quite a bit in recent years, with several top executives heading elsewhere for bigger jobs, such as Adam Peters, who joined the Washington Commanders as their general manager.
That has led to quite a few promotions for key individuals. Tariq Ahmad and RJ Gillen are both co-directors of Player Personnel. The 49ers also have a Director of Pro Scouting (Fred Gammage III), Director of College Scouting (Justin Chabot), and Director of Scouting and Football Operations (Josh Williams).
Waugh should fit somewhere in that mix as an assistant, likely helping back on the player personnel side or with contracts as he re-integrates himself back into the front office.