The next head coach of the Denver Broncos reportedly will not be DeMeco Ryans.

According to Woody Paige of the Denver Gazette, the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator told the AFC West team he is not interested in the vacancy.

This comes after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Houston Texans could hire Ryans as their head coach by Tuesday or Wednesday. Rapoport noted he was "their top candidate all along."

There is apparently mutual interest in place, as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported Saturday that the Texans were "Ryans' top choice."

That was notable because the former linebacker once sued the Texans, the NFL, Harris County (which owns Houston's NRG Stadium), the stadium management company and the turf company for a torn Achilles he suffered in 2014 when playing against the AFC South team as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ryans was on the Eagles because the Texans traded him there after six seasons.

Jones noted the NFL and Texans were dropped from the suit, and the defensive coordinator reached a settlement with the other parties involved.

While the Texans are coming off a 3-13-1 season, it's not a stretch to see why a coaching candidate would be interested. They have the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL draft and could select a quarterback such as Alabama's Bryce Young or Ohio State's C.J. Stroud. They also have the sixth-most cap space in the league this offseason.

That is plenty to build on, and Ryans' presence would likely help the defense make strides after he led a 49ers unit that finished first in the league in points and yards allowed this season.

As for Denver, it is coming off a 5-12 season and doesn't have as much financial flexibility with quarterback Russell Wilson under contract through the 2028 season.

It is also in the same division as Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs and Justin Herbert's Los Angeles Chargers, meaning the path to immediate contention is more fraught than the one facing the Texans in the AFC South.

It seems as if the Houston job was more appealing to Ryans.