As long as he remains at USC, Pete Carroll will continually be linked to NFL job openings that could be appealing.

And San Francisco offers many of the attributes that might appeal to Carroll, who was born in San Francisco, grew up a 49ers fan, worked for the 49ers, and idolized Bill Walsh.

But before anyone anoints Carroll as the 49ers head-coach in waiting, there are other factors that must be factored into the equation.

Carroll has as good of a college job as there is in the country. It would take total control of an NFL franchise to get him to leave. It would take a whopping offer that would make him one of, if not the, highest paid coaches in the game. Maybe San Francisco could provide all of this. But Carroll has to be fully aware of what has happened to some of the men who have followed Walsh in San Francisco — ultimately, it didn’t work out for any of them other than maybe George Seifert.

In the estimation of some around the league, it would be a tough sell for San Francisco to lure Carroll out of Los Angeles — tough but not impossible. But for the 49ers to make it happen, they would have to surrender more than ownership might be prepared to right now.

But the issue always will be in play as long as Carroll is at USC and the 49ers have questions about their head coach and their organization.