SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In the final evaluation, San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York examined the working relationship between general manager Trent Baalke and coach Chip Kelly and determined it wasn't working in the short term and probably wasn't going to long term.

"In my vision of Chip and Trent working together, I think it’s clear that Trent probably has more of a defensive mind," York said Monday. "Pairing him with an offensive-minded guy, having those guys be partners and working together and being able to scout players who fit Chip’s system and being able to do things that build a defense and have a championship-caliber defense -- which Trent has been a part of, from building a roster since, I think, starting in 2005, wasn’t in that draft, but really 2005 'til now -- that’s sort of the vision that I saw.

"But the marriage didn’t work."

Will the 49ers entice Josh McDaniels to leave Bill Belichick's side by also bringing in Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio? Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

It was an arranged marriage to begin with, and those rarely stand the test of time. Now, as York turns his attention to the future, it's not hard to see and understand where he wants to steer the ship to get it going back in the right direction. York addressed the Bay Area media for more than 28 minutes on Monday morning, and there was a clear directive: find a coach and general manager who can work in lockstep to restore the franchise to respectability.

"The most important thing is having the head coach and the general manager working together, battling for each other and being on the same page," York said. "That’s paramount. I’ve certainly seen that in my time. That’s my focus and that’s my goal, to make sure those two are together, they’re working on the same page and they know that they have the opportunity to build this thing the right way together."

The obvious implication is that previous regimes have not been quite so simpatico when it came to making decisions. That was abundantly clear in the power struggle that took place between Baalke and Jim Harbaugh and simmered beneath the surface with Baalke and Kelly.

As York and his advisers set about finding the next leaders of the franchise, it's important to note the emphasis on cohesion. As York acknowledged, it doesn't necessarily mean that the potential coach and general manager must have worked together before but it does mean they should know each other and have a good understanding of how each other works. It also means there's a need for similar visions and philosophies for how to build a football team.

In searches such as these, it often can be hard to know the inner workings of such relationships. The lazy connection to make is that coaches and personnel types have a good relationship because they worked together somewhere. The opposite also can be true, though, especially in the case of people who have been fired together.

Which means it's incumbent on York to make sure that any candidates with ties to each other actually have a good rapport.

"I need to make sure we have the right communication between the general manager and the head coach and the head coach and his staff," York said. "That’s why those two guys need to be on the same page and we need to have the right people on the staff. We’re going to continue to do everything that we can to get better. They’re going to have a very, very long leash in terms of making decisions."

With that in mind, where could this search go? There's one potential pairing that stands above the rest, assuming the Niners have the wherewithal, financial package and patience to pull it off. Some would probably call it "Patriots West." It would involve landing New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and pairing him with New England director of player personnel Nick Caserio.

According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Niners already have requested permission to interview McDaniels and Caserio, though nothing official had been set up as of Monday night. McDaniels has plenty of suitors, as reports indicate the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams also have expressed interest in his services. The Niners could be better positioned to land McDaniels because of the possibility of pairing him with Caserio, while other teams would be offering only a relationship with a current general manager. Still, there's no guarantee either would be willing to leave New England after resisting past opportunities.

From a coaching perspective, the Niners also have been linked to candidates such as Buffalo offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn and Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan (both of whom are expected to interview). Reports also have indicated that Seattle offensive line coach Tom Cable and Miami defensive coordinator Vance Joseph could enter the fray.

For the general manager vacancy, the Niners also are set to interview Green Bay director of college scouting Brian Gutekunst and director of football operations Eliot Wolf. Seattle executives Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer, Minnesota's George Paton, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick and Atlanta's Scott Pioli also have been mentioned as potential candidates. Kansas City's Chris Ballard removed his name from consideration late Monday afternoon.

While some have speculated the Niners would prefer to hire a general manager first, then a coach, York made it clear that order won't matter so long as they land the best candidates for both positions.

"We need to be open to the right structure with the right people," York said. "We need to get the right people. It can’t be that I have the 53-man roster and you need to go back to your office. We can’t have that. It has to be these two guys on the same page, and when we disagree on a player, we need to know what to do when we disagree on a player and how to move forward and move beyond it. That’s very important to me. Whether the head coach is in control, the general manager is in control, they need to be accountable to each other. That’s the most important relationship in the building."