For DeMeco Ryans, it’s first things first.

The Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos have requested permission to interview San Francisco’s defensive coordinator as each NFL team seeks its next head coach, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday, and the Carolina Panthers did the same on Thursday, NFL Network reported.

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But San Francisco opens the NFC playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks at 3:30 p.m. CST Saturday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

“I’m thankful and happy to be in the playoffs at this time,” Ryans said on Wednesday. “The interviews and those things, they’ll take care of themselves at the right time. The focus is all about Seattle for me. It’s all about that, all about what can we do. How can I help our guys be in position to go and win this game on Saturday? That’s the focus. The interviews, all those things, they’ll take care of themselves.”

Ryans is in his second season as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. In the 2022 regular season, San Francisco gave up 16.3 points and 300.6 yards per game, with both figures the best in the NFL. In Ryans’ first season in the position, the 49ers finished ninth in points allowed and third in yards allowed.

“It’s very humbling to be able to get requests for head-coaching interviews,” Ryans said. “It’s humbling when you think about a lot of guys who’ve coached before me and a lot of guys put in a lot of years. A guy like (49ers running-backs coach) Bobby Turner comes to mind and all the years he’s put in, so I think about guys like that, and them not being able to get the opportunity, and me truly being able to go represent for them, and that’s what it means. It means a lot for the other guys who have been before me, and it’s special to be able to be in a select group, to have head-coaching interviews and people requesting.

“It’s a special moment. It’s a proud moment. And I’m very thankful and grateful just to be spoken of in that light, so I’m very humbled, very grateful for those opportunities.”

After the 2021 season, the Minnesota Vikings interviewed Ryans in their search for a head coach. But Ryans turned down the opportunity for a second interview with the Vikings.

“I feel still strong about the decision I made,” Ryans said on Wednesday, “and I feel like it was the correct decision for me and my family at the time.”

Ryans said over the past season he’s tried “looking at it from a total team perspective” rather than confining his focus to defense in his sixth season working with Shanahan.

“For me, it’s been awesome to be here and learn from Kyle,” Ryans said. “He’s been an outstanding head coach, successful, coached in this league for a very long time. Very knowledgeable guy, and I’ve gained so much knowledge from just sitting, listening to him, studying, seeing how he operates, how he runs the team. There’s not a better guy for me to be able to sit under and learn from. From the time that I’ve been here, he’s been outstanding.”

Ryans began his coaching career as a defensive quality-control assistant with San Francisco in 2017, then coached the 49ers’ inside linebackers for three seasons. Ryans became defensive coordinator when Robert Saleh left the position to become the head coach of the New York Jets.

After making All-State as a linebacker at Jess Lanier High School in Bessemer in 2001, Ryans earned unanimous All-American recognition, won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award and received the Lott IMPACT Trophy for the 2005 season as a senior at Alabama. (IMPACT stands for integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity.) He capped his college career as the Defensive MVP of the 2006 Cotton Bowl in Alabama’s 13-10 victory over Texas Tech.

A second-round selection of the Texans in the 2006 NFL Draft, Ryans won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, received two Pro Bowl invitations and played 10 NFL seasons.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.