Jim Harbaugh - Pro Football Rumors

Kaepernick’s Future Not Linked To Harbaugh

November 29th, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Rob DiRe

The 49ers are on the outside of the playoff picture, and the relationship with head coach Jim Harbaugh has been tumultuous all season. Despite tremendous success in Harbaugh’s first three seasons with the team, reaching the NFC Championship Game three years running, the fear is that the relationship between the head coach and the organization is beyond repair.

The tension has been documented numerous times here at Pro Football Rumors, from early on this season to as recently as the day after the Niners’ Thanksgiving loss to the Seahawks. The team seems prepared to move on from Harbaugh, and hopes to continue the success they experienced during his tenure.

Losing Harbaugh will hurt, but it could be a lot worse if the team believes they will lose their starting quarterback as well. Colin Kaepernick is a product of Harbaugh, drafted by him and a favorite of his. Harbaugh himself was a former NFL quarterback, and his ability to rein in Kaepernick’s best characteristics has no doubt brought out the best in his early development as a passer.

Kaepernick of course, has struggled, and if he continues to regress, especially without the coach who drafted him, the team may be forced to move on from him.

Such a possibility is plausible due largely to the nature of the contract extension he signed with the team. The contract included a small amount of guaranteed money, with a small signing bonus and big yearly salaries. Therefore the team can cut him after any season it decides he is no longer worth the money.

His 2015 base salary stands at $12.4MM, but rises incrementally all the way up to $21MM in 2020.

Because of the nature of Kaepernick’s contract, the team figures to stick with even in a post-Harbaugh world, as long as he continues to improve and show signs of promise as the franchise quarterback, says Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Maiocco writes that the team could be interested to see how his game evolves under a new set of circumstances on offense.

Latest On Jim Harbaugh, 49ers

November 28th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Even before last night’s ugly home loss against the Seahawks, the future of 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was very much up in the air, with many observers around the league believing someone else will be coaching the club in 2015. Following yesterday’s loss, Harbaugh’s seat seems to be even hotter. Niners CEO Jed York tweeted after the game that his team’s performance “wasn’t acceptable,” and apologized to fans for the showing, prompting speculation that Harbaugh might not even last until season’s end. While I don’t think a move involving Harbaugh is imminent, there’s certainly a sense of unease in San Francisco, where the Niners’ 7-5 record makes it an uphill battle to a playoff spot.

Here’s more on Harbaugh and the 49ers:

While the notion of firing Harbaugh with several games left in the season “seems beyond ludicrous on the surface,” there’s a strong sense in league circles that the front office is looking forward to Harbaugh’s exit, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As such, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the club parts ways with Harbaugh and promotes Jim Tomsula to head coach to try to make a last-ditch run to the postseason. Still, with just four games left on the 2014 schedule, it seems more likely that the team will play out the year with Harbaugh and then try to see if they can trade him in the offseason to a team in need of a new coach.
As something of an aside, Florio notes in the aforementioned piece that multiple league insiders believe Tomsula has the inside track to succeed Harbaugh as the Niners’ next head coach.
The daughter of Niners general manager Trent Baalke tweeted after last night’s game that offensive coordinator Greg Roman “can take a hike,” though she has since deleted the tweet. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link) acknowledges that replacing Roman is one major move the team could make, but says there’s no indication Harbaugh is looking to make a change.
Asked after last night’s loss if it was time to reevaluate the offense and make major changes, Harbaugh replied, “We always do that. We’ll do that again. We’ll evaluate it. I don’t know what you refer to with major changes” (link via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News).
For what it’s worth, Harbaugh had no reaction to York’s tweet, writes Maiocco at CSNBayArea.com.
Prior to last night’s game, Florio wrote in a separate PFT piece that the 49ers’ silence on Harbaugh’s future has been deafening. With little support from the San Francisco front office, the question is now where Harbaugh will wind up — per Florio, many expect him to stay in the Bay Area, or at least on the West Coast, and the Raiders are viewed as the most likely landing spot.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Holliday, 49ers, Vikings

November 25th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

While much has been made of the NFC’s miserable South division, the race to the postseason is heating up in the East, North, and West, and all three divisions will be on display during this week’s Thanksgiving games — the winner of the Eagles/Cowboys contest will take over first place in the East, while the Seahawks/49ers winner will gain an advantage in the Wild Card race. Meanwhile, the Lions have lost their last two games and their hold on the NFC North, and will have an uphill battle for a Wild Card berth if they’re upset at home by the Bears.

As we look forward to what should be an entertaining slate of Thursday games, let’s check in on the latest out of the NFC….

Having already been cut this year by the Giants and Buccaneers, return specialist Trindon Holliday is looking for a new home, and worked out this week for the 49ers, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). San Francisco also auditioned running back David Fluellen, who was cut by the Colts prior to the regular season.
While head coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t viewed as likely to return to the 49ers next season, quarterback Colin Kaepernick told reporters today he believes Harbaugh will continue on with the team beyond 2014. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the details.
After seeing starting right tackle Phil Loadholt go down for the season with a pectoral injury, the Vikings worked out veteran tackles Eric Winston and J’Marcus Webb, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
Sam Bradford of the Rams, Steven Jackson of the Falcons, and Dashon Goldson of the Buccaneers are among the high-priced veterans who could become cap casualties in the offseason, writes Yates in an Insider-only ESPN.com piece.
Bradford and Goldson earn spots on a similar list from Joel Corry of CBSSports.com, who also identifies Marshawn Lynch of the Seahawks and Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals as stars who could be released by their respective teams.
Running back Kapri Bibbs will ultimately end up sticking with the Broncos’ practice squad after being waived by the team over the weekend, but he did work out for the Cardinals today, as Troy Renck of the Denver Post details.

AFC Mailbags: Colts, Jags, Bengals, Jets

November 22nd, 2014 at 10:11am CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN’s NFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now check out some notes from the AFC…

If Mike Wells were a member of the Colts front office, he wouldn’t sign Ray Rice to a contract. The writer notes that the running back must be out of shape, and he also notes the difficulties in learning a new scheme.
Michael DiRocco believes the Jaguars biggest offseason needs will be a pass-rusher and a linebacker. As a result, the writer targets Nebraska’s Randy Gregory and Missouri’s Shane Ray.
Switching to the offense, DiRocco could see the Jaguars drafting a running back late in the draft. Regardless, he doesn’t think the team should part ways with Toby Gerhart, especially since Denard Robinson hasn’t proven he can be a featured back.
A.J. McCarron is clearly the Bengals backup plan at quarterback, so he won’t be traded or released any time soon, writes Coley Harvey.
If the Jets move on from Rex Ryan, the Jets owe it to their fans to pursue 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, opines Rich Cimini.
Meanwhile, Cimini doesn’t believe the Jets will pursue Darrelle Revis this offseason (if the cornerback becomes a free agent). The writer believes a Revis-Rex Ryan reunion is inevitable, but not in New York.

Latest On Jim Harbaugh

November 16th, 2014 at 3:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ve heard for months that Jim Harbaugh isn’t likely to return as the 49ers head coach in 2015, and while there’s some been some speculation about his next stop, we’ve yet to see anything concrete. However, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (link via Rapoport’s colleague Connor Orr), while confirming that “it would be surprise” if Harbaugh returned to San Francisco next season, has shed a little light on Harbaugh’s future, reporting that the Dolphins are no longer an option to land the 49ers head coach. Meanwhile, given that Harbaugh’s family would like to remain in the Bay Area, the Raiders could emerge as a candidate to secure Harbaugh’s services.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross pursued Harbaugh following the 2010 season despite the fact that Tony Sparano was still under contract as the club’s head coach, so it wasn’t surprising that reports surfaced linking the two parties again. However, Miami has turned its season around as of late, and currently sits at 6-4, good for second place in the AFC East. As such, head coach Joe Philbin is unlikely to be fired, and even if he is let go, Rapoport says that Harbaugh would still not be “on the Dolphins’ radar.” In fact, Ross, a University of Michigan alum, would prefer to see Harbaugh take over in Ann Arbor, tweets Rapoport.

The Raiders connection probably makes more sense at this point, especially given that Harbaugh’s wife reportedly wants to remain in the Bay Area. Oakland fired Dennis Allen after an 0-4 start, and in an odd twist of fate, installed Sparano as its interim head coach. The Raiders are still winless, which makes it unlikely that Sparano or general manager Reggie McKenzie will be allowed to keep their jobs in 2015. If Harbaugh were offered total control over the team, he could be interested in joining an Oakland club that boasts building blocks on both sides of the ball (quarterback Derek Carr and linebacker Khalil Mack), and will be entitled to another top-five draft pick next year.

Bay Area Notes: Bowman, Harbaugh, McKenzie

November 15th, 2014 at 8:29pm CST by Luke Adams

A Friday report indicated that there’s a possibility injured 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman won’t return to the field this season, but he shouldn’t be ruled out quite yet. A league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that Bowman has been cleared to practice next week, and intends to return to the practice field at that time. Assuming Bowman does indeed being practicing next week, the 49ers will have three weeks to add him to their active roster — if the team isn’t ready to activate him at that point, he’ll sit for the rest of the season.

As the Niners look forward to the possibility of seeing another standout linebacker return to their lineup, let’s check in on a few more items out of San Francisco and Oakland….

Within his Saturday mailbag, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com responds to a question about the likelihood of 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio receiving a contract extension. As Maiocco points out, while a new deal for Fangio – who is signed through 2015 – is possible, his future will likely be tied to that of Jim Harbaugh and the rest of the club’s coaching staff.
Speaking of Harbaugh, amidst speculation that the head coach could part ways with the 49ers at season’s end, Bob Glauber of Newsday writes that Harbaugh would be the best option to coach the Jets next season, if he becomes available.
Even with the club at 0-9, people within the Raiders organization think general manager Reggie McKenzie could keep his beyond this season, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. As Tafur explains, McKenzie appears to have “hit a home run” with the team’s 2014 draft class, and you could make the case that some of Oakland’s shortcomings this season have been the result of injuries. When I looked last Saturday at teams with the most salary on injured reserve, the Raiders ranked third.

Poll: Best Head Coaching Candidates

November 14th, 2014 at 11:02pm CST by Rob DiRe

Colts‘ offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Browns‘ offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan have accomplished plenty on their offenses this season, with each team currently leading its current division through nine games. Those performances could lead to big paydays as head coaches next season.

They are not the only coordinators being rumored for head coaching jobs. Giants‘ offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has been talked about as a possible successor for Tom Coughlin. Broncos‘ offensive coordinator Adam Gase could follow the path of his predecessor, Mike McCoy, who jumped from a record-setting Peyton Manning-led offense to the top job for the Chargers.

The defending champion Seahawks have taken a step back from last season, but the market may not have cooled on both of their coordinators. Both offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn have both been talked about as head coaching candidates, with particular interest coming from the Jets if general manager John Idzik is retained in New York and head coach Rex Ryan is fired.

Todd Bowles has helped put together a great defense in Arizona, as the Cardinals have gone 8-1 despite injuries on the defense. Lions‘ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin could be in a similar position, as his team is currently leading it’s division based on the strength of the defense.

Add to the mix the possibility of Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher returning to the sidelines, or even the possibility of a college coach like David Shaw of Stanford jumping to the NFL, and teams will have a number of options should they decide to pursue a new coach in 2015. That list does not include the head coaches that will lose their jobs at the end of the season, a number of them will hit the open market with impressive records of success. That list could include Ryan, Mike Smith, and Jim Harbaugh, among others.

NFC Links: Avant, Palmer, Brooks

November 8th, 2014 at 12:34pm CST by Ben Levine

Panthers wide receiver Jason Avant is looking forward to returning to Philadelphia this weekend, but the veteran is also looking back on his time with the Eagles. The 30-year-old was asked about his departure from Philly, and the wideout understood that he was on the outside looking in. Via the Philly Mag’s Tim McManus…

“You have an emerging [Jeremy] Maclin, you have a receiver draft that is high on talent that year and then you just paid Riley Cooper, so you kind of put the pieces together. Me and DeSean or me and Mac, we knew two of us would be gone,” he said. “We didn’t know which one it would be but you kind of [understand] situations over the years.

“I saw my role and what they had me doing and it just didn’t make sense for them financially to keep me to do some of the things I was doing. That’s no slight at Chip [Kelly] or anyone, it’s just a good business decision. Man, if I was in the business decision I would have looked at it and said: Look, to catch bubbles and to block, we can get a rookie to do that for a lesser price. That’s just a smart move by Howie Roseman and Chip.”

“Every player wants to play in one city for their whole career, but I understood the business side of it,” he said. “I love the organization, I love [Kelly and Roseman], I don’t have any hard feelings. I’ll be giving [Kelly] a big hug when I see him. I respect him and I respect what he is doing. They’re having a great season so far and I am really, really excited for a lot of the guys there, and I still talk to a lot of people. I’m happy they’re doing well — I just hope they don’t do well this week. That’s it.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…

The Packers will evaluate the availability of guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang today, and they could decide to activate lineman Josh Walker from the practice squad, writes Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel.
The Cardinals made the correct move in signing Carson Palmer, says ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss. The 34-year-old’s performance since returning in mid-October has proven to the writer that the veteran was deserving of a three-year extension.
49ers coach Jim Harbaugh would not comment on rumors that the team was shopping linebacker Ahmad Brooks. “No, no, I don’t have any comment on that,” Harbaugh said (via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez). “As always, no comment on those things. It would be second-hand, and I don’t have the specific knowledge.”

49ers Notes: Manning, Harbaugh, Smith, Baalke

October 19th, 2014 at 8:51pm CST by Rob DiRe

As the Broncos and 49ers are battling on Sunday Night Football, it is a time to think about what could have been for both franchises. After being cut from the Colts, Peyton Manning considered the 49ers as a potential suitor, at least for a brief amount of time. Manning eventually decided not to include the team on his list of finalists, and one major reason for that was a concern about his inability to coexist with head coach Jim Harbaugh, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Harbaugh, who is known to be a control freak on offense, likely would not have given Manning the freedom he desired and ultimately received with head coach John Fox in Denver.

Here are some other notes from around the 49ers:

Florio also said that outside linebacker Aldon Smith could return from his nine-game suspension one or two weeks early, reports Kevin Lynch of SFGate.com (via Twitter).
There are a few possible reasons that Smith could return early, including the fact that he waived his right to appeal the suspension, and possible side deals he could have made with the league, reports Florio.
General manager Trent Baalke says he has no knowledge of any reduction in suspension for Smith, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Maiocco also notes that the NFL has maintained that there is no update on his status going forward.
Former NFL receiver and NFL broadcaster Cris Collinsworth addressed the ongoing drama between Harbaugh and the 49ers, noting that the team should just pay him like a top quality coach, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.

Jets Notes: Mornhinweg, Cap Room, Ryan

October 11th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Jets owner Woody Johnson has agreed to sell his Manhattan co-op for $80MM, according to Jennifer Gould Keil of the New York Post. That’s a record price for a NYC co-op, and that money could ultimately help out the franchise.

Either way, as ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes, the owner would have been forced to open his checkbook this offseason. Franchises are required to spend at least 89 percent of their cap between 2013 and 2017, so the Jets will certainly be spenders in free agency – regardless of the owner’s extra $80MM.

Let’s see what else is going on in the organization, all via Cimini’s mailbag…

Cimini believes that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has avoided major criticism early on because of the team’s other issues. However, he believes Mornhinweg will face further scrutiny if the offense (particularly quarterback Geno Smith) continues to struggle.
The Jets are looking at about $67MM in cap room next season, but Cimini warns that the abundance of money isn’t an indication that the team will spend. The team will likely use the money to add a couple of marquee free agents as well as extend their own players.
If Rex Ryan were to be fired after the season, Jim Harbaugh would not be a likely candidate. Instead, Cimini suggests Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who already has a relationship with general manager John Idzik.
Cimini can’t envision both Ryan and Idzik being fired after the season. After all, firing Idzik would be an admittance by Woody Johnson that he was wrong, and the owner has traditionally held his general managers on a relatively long leash.