Jim Tomsula - Pro Football Rumors

Staff Notes: Tomsula, Callahan, Bills, Broncos

January 13th, 2017 at 5:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Jim Tomsula was out of football this season after a 5-11 campaign as San Francisco’s head coach in 2015, but it appears he’s about to resurface. The Redskins are targeting Tomsula, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, though he doesn’t specify which position the 48-year-old would take in Washington. It seems likely Tomsula would coach the Redskins’ D-line, though, considering he held that role with the Niners from 2007-14. The Redskins have an opening there thanks to the firing of Robb Akey earlier this month.

Chip Kelly Eyeing Offensive Coordinator Job

January 3rd, 2017 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

Chip Kelly is out in San Francisco and he already knows what he wants to do next. The former 49ers head coach says that he would like to be an offensive coordinator, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Glazer did not specify whether Kelly was referring to an NFL or college opportunity, but our educated guess is that Kelly is looking to stay in the professional ranks.

Kelly also says that former GM Trent Baalke was working to get him fired for several weeks. Ultimately, Baalke got his way, but both men were shown out the door together. This isn’t the first time that Baalke has swayed ownership to make a coaching change. Glazer says that Baalke was the reason the 49ers elected not to hire Adam Gase in 2015, and instead went with Jim Tomsula. Apparenty, the Niners were set to announce Gase as their new coach before Baalke went to Jed York and undercut the decision. Gase’s Dolphins are getting ready for Wild Card weekend while the 49ers are blowing things up (again) after a two-win season.

This has been a bad week of PR for Baalke. On Monday, it was reported that Kelly and others in the organization were pushing for the team to draft Dak Prescott but Baalke did not pull the trigger on taking him.

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Coach Rumors: 49ers, Shula, McDaniels, Gruden

January 8th, 2016 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers‘ head coaching search is starting to heat up, with meetings for Chip Kelly, Anthony Lynn, and John DeFilippo having been reported since Thursday night. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee weighs in with a couple more updates on the search, writing that the team may circle back to candidates it interviewed last year after it finishes with its first round of interviews. That group could include Mike Shanahan, Adam Gase, and Josh McDaniels, among others.

According to Barrows, the 49ers have also inquired about Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula. However, Shula’s agent has indicated that his client doesn’t plan to interview for jobs while Carolina remains alive in the playoffs. So if the Niners hope to talk to Shula, they’ll have to wait until at least January 17th, and possibly longer.

Let’s round up some more of Friday’s coaching-related items….

Despite having generated interest from multiple teams, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels won’t interview for any head coaching jobs during New England’s bye week, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk rightly observes, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie prefers a head coach who can co-exist with Howie Roseman, and won’t engage in the same sort of power struggle Chip Kelly did. So even if Jon Gruden has interest in the Eagles’ head coaching job, he may not be the type of candidate the team is seeking. I discussed the Gruden rumors earlier today.
At least two teams have conveyed interest in speaking with former Niners head coach Jim Tomsula, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Tomsula figures to draw interest as a defensive line coach or defensive assistant.

Coach Rumors: Rams, Eagles, Titans, Tomsula

January 5th, 2016 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, but there may be changes coming to his coaching staff in the coming weeks, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. A year ago, St. Louis was one of the last teams to make a change at offensive coordinator, and it doesn’t sound like Fisher is in a hurry to finalize changes this year either.

“We’ll start the evaluation process,” Fisher said. “Go back and we’ll discuss our restricted free agents, our unrestricted free agents and prioritize things from a coaching perspective. Then, we’ll get the ball rolling as far as the self-scouting and things like that. Separately from them, I’ll be dealing with when and if there’s going to be and potential staff changes.”

Rob Boras took over as the Rams’ interim offensive coordinator late in the season, and is a candidate to keep the job, but Fisher remains undecided on that position. As we wait to see which direction the team goes, let’s check in on a few more coaching-related notes from around the NFL…

Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is on the Eagles‘ radar for a head coaching interview, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. Koetter has also been mentioned as a potential candidate for the Dolphins’ head coaching vacancy.
The Titans have yet to request permission to interview any of the “hot” head coaching candidates, sources tell Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link). Presumably, McCormick is referring to coordinators like Adam Gase, Teryl Austin, and Hue Jackson, among others. It seems that the club may be prioritizing its search for a general manager before seriously pursuing any head coaching candidates.
After having been fired by the 49ers, Jim Tomsula should have plenty of opportunities around the NFL as either a defensive line coach or defensive coordinator, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who tweets that calls are “already coming in” for Tomsula.
The Colts didn’t attempt to make a run at Alabama head coach Nick Saban before agreeing to an extension with Chuck Pagano, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio suggests that none of the current job openings are really an ideal fit for Saban, so rumors of his return to the NFL may be postponed for another year.
Asked during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio if any of this year’s head coaching openings appeal to him, former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher once again dismissed the idea of returning to the NFL (Twitter link). “I tell people all the time, I had the best job in football [and] I stepped down from it” Cowher said. “I’m very comfortable working at CBS right now.”

49ers Rumors: Baalke, Tomsula, Kaepernick

January 4th, 2016 at 2:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest on the 49ers, who are on the hunt for a new head coach after canning Jim Tomsula:

49ers CEO Jed York says that Trent Baalke will remain as GM and that he will be in charge of finding the team’s next head coach, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee tweets.
Baalke has three years left on his contract, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com notes (on Twitter). The GM was given an extension to line up with Tomsula’s years.
York is making it clear that he’s relying on his uncle, Eddie DeBartolo, to serve as an advisor and mentor in the search, PFT tweets.
When asked if he will sell the 49ers, York made it known that he is not interested in giving up the franchise. “My family owned this team before I was born. They’ll own the team after I’m gone,” York said (via Barrows on Twitter).
Tomsula is the only member of the coaching staff who has been let go, but it will be up to the new coach to put together his own staff, York says (via Maiocco on Twitter).
York says the 49ers will “eat” the remainder of Tomsula’s ~$10.5MM remaining salary, Barrows tweets.
Tomsula will be in demand as a defensive line coach, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. I personally believe that it’s hard to see Tomsula getting looked at as a head coaching candidate right now, but anything is possible.
Colin Kaepernick‘s thumb surgery is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday and his full recovery will take three months, Barrows tweets.

49ers Fire Jim Tomsula

January 3rd, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The 49ers have fired head coach Jim Tomsula after one year on the job, according to team CEO Jed York, who issued a statement Sunday night (link via the club’s website):

“Jimmy has been a valuable member of the 49ers organization for the last nine years. We all know he is a man of high character, and his contributions on the field and in our community have always been greatly appreciated. This entire organization is proud and grateful to have worked so closely alongside Jimmy. We all wish him and his family great success in the future.”

Last offseason, after interviewing a slew of candidates to replace the departed Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco elected to promote Tomsula – its defensive line coach from 2007-14 – signing him to a four-year, $14MM contract ($10.5MM of which still has to be paid out). However, the Tomsula era didn’t go nearly as well as Harbaugh’s reign, which included a 44-19-1 regular-season record and three playoff appearances in four years. The Tomsula-led Niners finished the 2015-16 campaign 5-11 (the franchise’s worst mark since 2007) and suffered nine losses by double-digit deficits. They defeated the NFC West rival Rams, 19-16, to snap a three-game losing streak on Sunday, but it obviously wasn’t enough to save Tomsula.

As the 49ers begin searching for the 20th head coach in their history, one possibility general manager Trent Baalke could look to is Chip Kelly, according to both CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link) and Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). Another is the Saints’ Sean Payton, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Both Kelly and Payton are offensive minds, which the 49ers are seeking, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports. In addition to Kelly and Payton, Maiocco names Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson as someone who could be on the 49ers’ radar. Whether the team’s next head coach is Kelly, Payton, Jackson or someone else, he’ll have the freedom to keep or fire any of its current assistant coaches, per Maiocco (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers Expected To Fire Jim Tomsula

January 3rd, 2016 at 8:08am CST by Rory Parks

The 49ers are expected to fire head coach Jim Tomsula, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a league source. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has since tweeted confirmation of Florio’s report, though he adds (via Twitter) that no final decision has been made. Florio adds that the team is expected to retain GM Trent Baalke.

Tomsula, in his first season as San Francisco’s head coach after serving as the club’s defensive line coach from 2007-2014, was not blessed with a smooth transition to the top job. Although he was hand-picked by the organization to replace Jim Harbaugh, it would have been nearly impossible to live up to the standard that Harbaugh established, especially when the 49ers suffered through an unprecedented exodus of talent before the 2015 season even began. The team has stumbled to a 4-11 record, and as Florio writes, the record does not adequately reflect how disastrous this year has been. Nine of the 49ers’ 11 losses have come by double digits, and when combined with the team’s general lackluster effort and sloppy play, it has become increasingly clear that Tomsula is in over his head.

Florio names the recently-fired Chip Kelly as an “intriguing possibility” to replace Tomsula–if the 49ers ultimately choose to keep Colin Kaepernick, that is–and the PFT scribe also notes that Mike Holmgren has repeatedly expressed interest in the job.

Baalke, meanwhile, will return for his sixth season as San Francisco’s GM, and assuming Tomsula does, in fact, get the axe, Baalke will get the chance to hire his third head coach. Florio writes that the strong relationship between Baalke and owner Jed York is expected to save Baalke’s job for at least another year, but Baalke’s long-term future with the club likely hinges on his getting the next hire right. The hiring of Tomsula, whom the 49ers knew better than a team ever knows a head coaching candidate, is an embarrassment for the club and a black mark on Baalke’s otherwise solid track record.

NFC Notes: Caldwell, 49ers, Eagles

January 2nd, 2016 at 11:52am CST by Ben Levine

Lions coach Jim Caldwell refuses to defend himself to anybody, including owner Martha Ford. Despite professing his love for the organization, the 60-year-old will not fight to keep his job. The coach explained his logic to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.

“I don’t believe in it,” Caldwell said. “It’s not a matter of fighting for my job. When you take a look at it, the record speaks for itself. I’m not going to go into any long sort of explanation or those kinds of things. I never have, never will.”

As we wait to see whether that approach helps Caldwell retain his job, let’s take a look at some more notes from the NFC…

Following reports that 49ers linebackers coach Clancy Pendergast is expected to leave for a gig at USC, coach Jim Tomsula wasn’t particularly eager to discuss any potential moves. “We’re fully on board with the St. Louis Rams, and we’ll take care of that stuff next week,” Tomsula said (via Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee).
Besides his Philadelphia roots and experience with the Eagles organization, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott‘s ability to develop an elite defense makes him a perfect fit for Philly’s head coaching gig, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com.
Set to become a free agent after this season, Rams quarterback Case Keenum has one final opportunity this weekend to make an impression on any potential suitors. “Any time the lights come on or we step on the field and the film’s on, that film goes around to everybody,” Keenum told Michael Wagaman of the Associated Press. “They see everything from a lot of different views. In the NFL, that’s what your resume is, what you put on tape. I want to put everything on tape that is the best I can.”

Niners Notes: Boldin, A. Davis, Tomsula

December 24th, 2015 at 5:13pm CST by Luke Adams

San Francisco is 4-10 and on the way to a last-place finish in the NFC West, but that doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of 49ers-related topics to discuss as the season winds down. Earlier today, we passed along some notes on Jarryd Hayne, Trent Baalke, and the Niners’ offensive line. Let’s round up a few more items now….

Asked today is he wants to return to the 49ers next season, wide receiver Anquan Boldin said he “definitely” would like to be back, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Boldin indicated in November that he’s not considering retirement, so it’s no surprise that he wants to continue playing — but if he’s going to do so in San Francisco, he’ll have to sign a new contract, since his current deal voids this offseason.
Veteran offensive tackle Anthony Davis announced earlier this year that he’d be stepping away from football for at least a season, but it sounds like he has interest in making a comeback with the Niners in 2016. Still, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com details, head coach Jim Tomsula isn’t ready to address that topic yet, telling reporters that he hasn’t been in contact with Davis and won’t consider the tackle’s situation until after the season.
Of course, it’s not a lock yet that Tomsula will even keep his job as the 49ers’ head coach beyond this season. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News explores some potential coaches that could be candidates to replace Tomsula if the club decides to part ways with him.

NFC Notes: Beckham, Brees, Tomsula, Lions

December 23rd, 2015 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The appeal hearing for Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. ended at about 12:25 CT this afternoon, and a decision will likely come at some point today, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. As we wait for that announcement, let’s round up some news and rumors from across the NFC…

While there’s little question that the Saints will have to address Drew Brees’ contract in the offseason to reduce his cap hit if they want to keep him, there’s another issue in play, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). If head coach Sean Payton were to listen on other head coaching opportunities around the NFL and ultimately decided to leave New Orleans, it’s not clear whether or not Brees would still want to stick with the team for the rest of his career.
From the Saints‘ perspective, there’s no question that the club should want Brees to return for the 2016 season, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
In a separate Bleacher Report video, Cole echoes what CBS sideline reporter Jay Feely said on Sunday, suggesting that 49ers management would like to see head coach Jim Tomsula return for the 2016 season. However, Cole adds that a final decision has not yet been made.
After signing a one-year contract with the Lions, defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker saw his 2015 season derailed in Week 4 by a broken fibula and dislocated ankle. However, he tells Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News that he’s not thinking about re-entering free agency again yet, focusing instead on making sure he’s fully healthy first. “I’ve got to rehab, man,” Walker said. “I’ve got to get right.”
Sharon Terlep of The Wall Street Journal examines the ascension of Martha Ford, who – at age 90 – has taken over a larger role in Lions ownership, representing the team in place of Bill Ford.