The San Francisco 49ers are in the playoffs for the third straight season, but as every fan knows by now, that doesn’t mean they are immune to upheaval on their coaching staff.

Or in their front office.

Here’s the latest news and some of the ramifications should assistant general manager Adam Peters or defensive coordinator Steve Wilks land jobs elsewhere during this hiring cycle …

For the past few years, 49ers fans have been operating under the assumption — or maybe under the wishful thinking — that Peters was the general manager-in-waiting for the 49ers.

The idea that Peters would one day take over for John Lynch seemed to be bolstered when Peters turned down GM interview opportunities in Arizona and Tennessee last year and when Lynch’s job title changed — he now doubles as president of football operations — in November.

The new job title, however, was part of the multiyear contract extension the 49ers announced in September and was tantamount to an acknowledgment of all the president-like functions Lynch handles. But he still has all of his general manager duties, he still leads the personnel department and there’s no indication that will change anytime soon.

That was further emphasized this week when Peters flew to Miami to meet with new Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris about a role in the team’s restructured front office. One of the Commanders’ search team members is former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers, who stepped down from that position in June. Myers grew up in the Bay Area (Danville) and played basketball at UCLA. Peters grew up in the Bay Area (Cupertino) and played football at UCLA, though not at the same time Myers was there. The two are said to be friendly but not best friends.

The Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers also have requested permission to interview Peters for their GM vacancies.

What could happen to the 49ers front office if Peters leaves? If the Commanders hire him, it might trigger the dismissal of Washington GM Martin Mayhew, one of Lynch’s top lieutenants in San Francisco from 2017 to ’18. Mayhew could return in an assistant GM-like role with the 49ers.

Lynch also has a good relationship with former Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, who was fired last month along with coach Brandon Staley following the Chargers’ 63-21 loss to the Raiders. Like Mayhew, Telesco would bring experience to the 49ers front office.

If the 49ers wanted to stay in-house, they could give Tariq Ahmad and/or RJ Gillen expanded roles. Ahmad is the director of college scouting while Gillen is the director of pro personnel. They could be the latter-day version of Peters and Mayhew, who were Lynch’s top assistants when he arrived in 2017.

Speaking of the Chargers, they are scheduled to have a virtual interview later this week with Wilks for their vacant head-coaching position.

If Wilks lands that or another head-coaching job, would he take a 49ers assistant with him to run his offense? That formula worked out quite well for the Houston Texans, who last year hired former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as head coach and then 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik as the offensive coordinator. It worked out so well, in fact, that Slowik’s name is being bandied about for head-coach openings.

If something similar were to happen this year, Wilks’ targets might include quarterbacks coach Brian Griese, who’s had a major role in Brock Purdy’s development; Klint Kubiak, who essentially took over Slowik’s role in 2023; and tight ends coach Brian Fleury, who has a big hand in the 49ers’ running game.

One of the revelations of observing the 49ers’ halftime operations last year was watching Fleury write out the run plays while Kyle Shanahan scribbled the pass plays.

A big difference between last year and this year, however, is Ryans had built a relationship with Slowik. Both were defensive quality control coaches in 2017, their first year with the 49ers. Slowik later moved to the offensive side of the ball, where he would face off against Ryans in practices. Wilks, of course, just wrapped up his first regular season with San Francisco.

So far, the Chargers are the only team that has made a formal request for Wilks, although Shanahan said other teams have shown interest informally.

“I get a lot of phone calls, so I know there’s a lot more people interested,” Shanahan said. “But you’ve got to go through the process of formally requesting an interview. I’ve only got that from the Chargers so far.”

If Peters lands the GM job in Washington, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Commanders put in a formal request for Wilks.

The Chargers also might be in play for Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. In fact, league insiders think the Chargers would be Harbaugh’s first choice because it would remind him of the underachieving but veteran-laden team he took over in San Francisco in 2011.

The 49ers, who hadn’t had a winning record since 2002, went to overtime of the NFC Championship Game (we’ll spare you how the game ended) in Harbaugh’s first season and to the Super Bowl in his second year. The Chargers don’t have quite the star power the 49ers had in 2011 — Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Frank Gore, Justin Smith, Vernon Davis, Alex Smith and Joe Staley, to name a few — but they come close with players like Derwin James Jr., Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen. They also have an established quarterback in Justin Herbert, a rarity for a team seeking a new head coach.

Finding a general manager who can work with Harbaugh might be tricky. (See: Baalke, Trent; 2012-14 Cold War.) And Harbaugh will hate that Chargers home games usually feel like away games and that the Chargers play second fiddle to the Rams in L.A. (and that the Rams play second fiddle to the 49ers in L.A.).