Hue Jackson, Andy Dalton

Hue Jackson could end up coaching the 49ers or Browns. (AP Photo/Frank Victores, File)

(Frank Victores, Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Despite a report that Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is the clearcut frontrunner for the 49ers job, it's not a foregone conclusion he's headed there, a source told cleveland.com.

Jackson, who's available to be hired anytime now after the Bengals lost a heartbreaker to the Steelers 18-16 Saturday night in the AFC Wildcard game, will head into interviews Sunday with the Browns and 49ers with an open mind, and he's equally interested in both jobs, the source said.

The division-winning Bengals, playing with backup quarterback A.J. McCarron, seemingly had the game won 16-15 in the final seconds until Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones committed costly personal foul penalties that led to the Steelers gamewinning field goal.

Jackson will have to shake off the crushing defeat quickly and put his interview face on Sunday.

In addition to reporting that Jackson is the 49ers' favorite, The San Jose Mercury News said the club is under the impression that Jackson will accept the offer if it comes.

But a source told cleveland.com that Jackson, the former head coach of the Raiders, has both teams on a level playing field heading into Sunday. What's more, he might draw interest from other teams as the process unfold.

The Browns will also interview Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott on Sunday.

On Saturday, they lost Adam Gase to the Dolphins and interviewed Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. They can likely also scratch Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson, who interviewed with them on Friday, off their list. He's expected to join Gase in Miami in the same capacity.

The Browns have also interviewed Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and former Bills head coach Doug Marrone, who interviewed with the Giants on Saturday.

Jackson, who went 8-8 in his lone season as head coach of the Raiders in 2011, is a players' coach who's universally loved by his players.

This week, Steelers receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey gave his former Raiders coach a ringing endorsement.

"I think he's a great football mind. He's good for football. He demands a lot out of his players, and any team would love to have him," Heyward-Bey told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. "Why has it taken [four] years? The way he left Oakland, I think there was still a lot of unknown of how that went down, so I guess that could be some reasoning. But I know he'll interview well, and hopefully he gets a job somewhere.''

Jackson's wait could be over soon.