MIAMI — San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Joe Woods acknowledged he’s hoping to join Kevin Stefanski as the Browns defensive coordinator after the Super Bowl and is excited about the opportunity.

“We talked,’’ Woods, 49, told cleveland.com and one other Browns reporter Wednesday at the Super Bowl of a conversation with Stefanski. “Obviously I have a relationship with Kevin. I worked with him in Minnesota for eight years. But nothing’s going to be decided until after the Super Bowl. Obviously I feel like I have a good opportunity there but we’ll see what happens.’’

He praised Stefanski, 37, as a person and a coach, and would love to be reunited with him after they began their Vikings careers together in 2006 under Brad Childress and spent eight years together through 2013.

“I’ve seen Kevin go from a head coach’s assistant to position coach,’’ Woods said. “He’s coached basically every position on offensive side of ball, to a coordinator, taking over in a difficult situation and then bringing in a veteran guy like Coach [Gary] Kubiak is. And he’s handled it all. That should tell you guys what Kevin’s about and what he’s capable of doing.Very detailed, very smart, very good with people. I’m excited for him. Hopefully as things play out maybe I’ll have an opportunity to go with him.’’

He believes the Browns made an excellent choice for their 18th full-time head coach and 10th since 1999.

“I just feel he’ll be a great head coach,’’ Woods said. “Just because of his ability to communicate with people, and his ability to create a culture. He’s going to tell guys the truth. He’s not going to tell guys what they want to hear. He’s going to be very honest, very straightforward with everybody. And I think everybody’s going to see that and eventually he’ll get everybody in that organization to follow him.’’

Woods, who hasn’t been able to officially interview with the Browns but has an understanding the job is his, believes the two will make the perfect duo after getting to know each other so well in Minnesota.

“With Kevin, I’ve had a relationship with him, coaching on the same staff,’’ he said. “So if that were to happen, I feel it would be very easy, a seamless transition. There’s a trust factor there. He knows my work ethic. He saw me in the bldg. for 8 years, so he knows what I’m all about, so I don’t think there would be a problem there.’’

Woods, whose contract is up after this season and doesn’t need permission to leave, is aware of a report that the 49ers will make a big push to keep him but has no knowledge of that himself.

“I’ve had absolutely zero contract talks with anybody,’’ he said. “I’ve just been showing up to work doing my job and I’m just concerned with getting through the season, finishing the Super Bowl and then from there just make decisions. But I have not spoken to anyone about contracts at all.’’

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The former defensive coordinator of the Broncos in 2017-18, Woods signed a one-year deal with the 49ers in 2019 hopes of running a defense again soon.

“I just think at this point in my career, after being a coordinator in Denver, I felt as a position coach, I feel like I’ve been around the league long enough and I felt my reputation was good enough that if I signed a one-year deal and it didn’t work out, I’d be able to find employment,’’ he said. “But I was basically betting on myself.’’

Woods said he called the defensive plays under coach Vance Joseph in Denver, and is ready to lead the Browns’ 22nd-ranked unit. In his first of two seasons as coordinator in 2017, Denver finished third in total defense with 290 yards per game, and fifth against the run. In 2018, his defense finished in the top five in pass defense (82) and interceptions (17).

Linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb combined for 26.5 sacks, with Chubb’s 12 setting the team’s rookie record.

“Vance had a lot of call it periods in practice where you go through and it’s unscripted and it really helped my development as a coordinator,’’ said Woods. “But during the season I called it and he would sit in on meetings just in terms of game planning. He had great ideas but it was nothing he made me do.’’

Woods vowed to tailor his defense to the personnel at hand, and has experience in both a 3-4 base from his days in Denver, and a 4-3 in San Francisco and elsewhere. This season, he was part of a defense that ranked No. 2 overall and No. 1 in pass defense. The 49ers also ranked eighth this season in points allowed, and sixth with 48 sacks.

“If you got to a team and they’re a 4-3 or 3-4 or vice versa, I think it’s too hard to acquire the personnel you need to have success,’’ he said. “So wherever I go, I would do it just based on the personnel have, whatever their personnel is best suited for.’’

Solely focused on the playoffs and the Super Bowl, he hasn’t had a chance to dig into the film and study the likes of a Myles Garrett, who was a candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year with 10 sacks in 10 games last season before being suspended for the Mason Rudolph incident.

But Woods is known as a “technique’’ guy and will be hard on his players.

“It’s really just about developing trust in the players you coach,’’ he said. “I really believe in being fundamentally sound and technique sound. I really had great mentors growing up [in this business] with Mike Tomlin being probably the biggest one. He taught me to look at the game a different way and I kind of took off from there. But I put a lot of time in on trying to teach proper technique and then let the talent show from there.’’

Woods has learned a lot this year from 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who was one of two finalists for the Browns head coaching job this year.

“We ran the ‘Seattle 3’ system,’’ he said. “I just learned a different system, how they gameplan, how they teach things, communicate, all that stuff and it was very good for me. Robert Saleh — unbelievable coordinator. I think without any question he’s going to be a great head coach. It’s a shame he didn’t get one this year. But I’m telling you, he’s going to be a great head coach.’’

Woods, who has 15 years’ NFL experience, also took pride in the 49ers’ dominant performance over the Browns in a 31-3 blowout in San Francisco on Oct. 7. Nick Bosa had a monster game, with two sacks, five QB hits and a fumble recovery. They broke up seven passes, forced two fumbles, recovered one and intercepted Baker Mayfield twice, including that “catastrophic’’ one in the words of former OC Todd Monkey that bounced off the hands of Antonio Callaway right before the half and into those of former Browns defensive back K’Waun Williams.

“In any great season you have, you get some lucky breaks,’’ he said. “We really didn’t execute the coverage properly, But K’Waun was in the right spot and the ball bounced to him. This year, we grinded and really made those things happen. That was a great game for us. And a little payback [for Bosa].’’

Woods was reunited with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco this year, and it couldn’t have worked out better.

“I worked with Kyle in 2004-05 in Tampa, and we remained close friends, and I knew he was such an offensive mastermind,’’ he said. “I had about 4-5 jobs that I could have possibly got last year. I remember he called and he asked, ‘what are you gonna do?’ and I said ‘I’m coming. Save that job for me.’ And he did. It’s been a great experience. You learn a lot and it just opens doors for you.’’

Will that make it tough to leave if they try to get him to stay?

“No. I just think you have to look at yourself, your career and your family,’’ he said. “Whatever happens, I know I’ll make the best decision.’’

Besides, Woods’ mother’s family is from Cleveland and he has dozens of close family members there, including a younger brother that lives in Akron.

“I’m from Pittsburgh but Cleveland is like a second home to me,’’ he said.

Soon, it will be more like a first.

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