San Francisco 49ers Fire Chip Kelly, Coaching Carousel Continues
The San Francisco 49ers made the firing of head coach Chip Kelly official following today’s 25-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers finished their season with a record of 2-14, second worst in the NFL behind the 1-15 Cleveland Browns.
This comes after Friday’s firing of San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke.
“Despite my feelings for Trent and Chip, I felt the decision to change our football leadership was absolutely necessary. The performance of this team has not lived up to my expectations or those of our fans, and that is truly disappointing. We all expected to see this team progress and develop as the season went on, but unfortunately that did not happen. That is why now is the time to find a new direction for this team,” 49ers CEO Jed York said in a statement Sunday night.
The 2016 season was Kelly’s first as head coach of San Francisco since coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I live my life in vision, not circumstances, so I control what I can control, and what we can control is how we coach our players and the way we deal with them. If that’s good enough, then that’s good enough, if it’s not good enough, then so be it. I’m proud of the way our guys played today,” Kelly said following Sunday’s loss.
Baalke spoke to a local radio station Sunday morning and confirmed he’d been let go, telling KNBR it was the right thing to do.
“You know, I’ve been here since 2005, and I have a lot of respect for the organization as a whole, and the ownership, the fan base. It’s difficult, but it’s the right thing to do,” Baalke said.
Kelly’s dismissal is the fifth in the NFL thus far for the 2016 season. Mike McCoy in San Diego, Rex Ryan in Buffalo, Jeff Fisher in Los Angeles, and Gus Bradley in Jacksonville were let go from their respective posts as well.
In addition, Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak announced his surprising retirement after his family had concerns about his health. In 2013, while coaching for the Houston Texans, Kubiak suffered a mini-stroke during a game and had to be taken to the hospital. This past year Kubiak missed week six after suffering from a mild complex migraine according to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter.
The coaching vacancies ahead of black Monday will ignite a coaching carousel that is sure to feature some big names heading to new markets.
There’s no job more talked about in the NFL right now than the opening in Los Angeles. Jon Gruden, a name the Rams are reportedly interested in, told Mike Silver of Sports Illustrated that he will not be returning to coaching in 2017.
Jon Gruden has told at least one owner he has no intention of returning to coaching this year
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 1, 2017
The New Orleans Saints are reportedly interested in trading current head coach Sean Payton to Los Angeles.
Keep an eye on Sean Payton and the Rams. Would be a coach-trade scenario. Fluid situation. Payton was in play last year before reupping.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 1, 2017
The Jacksonville Jaguars are reportedly talking to former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin about their coaching vacancy.
Among coaches that haven’t been fired yet but soon could be are Chuck Pagano of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts finished 3rd in the AFC South this year and 2nd last year, but that’s not cutting it for Colts management.
According to FanSided There are also rumors circling that Jim Irsay might be interested in bringing in Peyton Manning as the team’s general manager, but that appears to be purely speculation at this point in time.
[Featured Image by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images]
