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“Growing Belief” 49ers Will Fire Trent Baalke

December 4th, 2016 at 5:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the 49ers’ post-Jim Harbaugh swoon plunges toward rock bottom, the franchise may be angling for a full-scale rebuild — one that would not include Trent Baalke.

A “growing belief” exists the 49ers will move on from the sixth-year GM after this season, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears. Such talk should not exactly be unexpected considering San Francisco’s freefall over the past three years.

The last update on Baalke’s status came in October, when the 49ers had lost merely five games in a row, and the GM was not considered to be bound for the front office unemployment line. The 49ers are now preparing to snap a franchise-record 11-game losing streak, leading to Baalke’s tenuous status.

Florio points out, though, the organization could look to promote assistant GM Tom Gamble. That would create a smoother transition since Chip Kelly is not expected to be let go after one season despite said said unfolding historically poorly. Bringing in an outside hire and refusing to allow him to hire his own coach for at least a season would certainly bring an awkward arrangement.

Kelly benched Colin Kaepernick, about whom it was reported earlier today would opt out of his restructured contract after this season, and the 49ers on Sunday finished with a net six passing yards — the second-fewest in the franchise’s 70 years of existence. The loss dropped them to 6-22 without Harbaugh after the team started 44-19-1 in Baalke’s first four years.

49ers Won’t Fire GM Trent Baalke?

October 20th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are 1-5 and it doesn’t sound like Chip Kelly‘s first season in SF will result in a playoff berth. Still, GM Trent Baalke‘s job is not in jeopardy at this time, according to a source who spoke with Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Trent Baalke (vertical)

[RELATED: 49ers Bring CB Will Redmond Back From IR]

The Niners have struggled on both sides of the ball so far this season. After getting off to a rough start with quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the team decided to give the starting job back to Colin Kaepernick. In his debut last weekend, No. 7 completed just 13 of his 29 passing attempts as San Francisco got blown out at Buffalo. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ defense has allowed more than 30 points in four of its past five games.

Despite the team’s problems, the 49ers still believe that Baalke is the right guy to select the right players for Kelly, according to Cole’s source. Personally, I’m still skeptical as to whether Baalke will be retained for a seventh season in San Francisco if things do not improve.

Breer’s Latest: Kaep, Tannehill, Ravens, Bills

October 13th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is set to return to the 49ers’ starting lineup this week, but his NFL future was in doubt as recently as last year. At least two teams that looked into Kaepernick as a potential trade acquisition had questions about whether he wanted to continue playing, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB. Kaepernick ended up staying in San Francisco, of course, and will now take over head coach Chip Kelly‘s offense. If Kaepernick fails under Kelly, the league might not regard the 28-year-old as a viable option anymore, writes Breer, who notes that his career hangs in the balance. “This offense gives him the best chance, no doubt,” one 49ers source said of the mobile Kaepernick, who could become a free agent at season’s end.

More from Breer:

  • After last season, when it looked as if the 49ers would trade Kaepernick, the relationship between him and general manager Trent Baalke “couldn’t have been worse,” a source told Breer. Kaepernick has never trusted Baalke and views himself as a Jim Harbaugh draft pick, relays Breer. Baalke and Kaepernick went months without speaking to one another amid trade rumors last offseason and then met during the summer to clear the air. It doesn’t seem their meeting was productive, however, as sources close to Kaepernick see his relationship with Baalke as “irreparable,” per Breer.
  • Considering all the problems on their roster, the Dolphins aren’t sure if they can properly evaluate fifth-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill this season, Breer suggests. As a result, Breer doesn’t expect the Dolphins to move on from Tannehill during the offseason. Releasing the 2012 first-round pick before March would save Miami all but $3.5MM of his $17.98MM salary for 2017. The 28-year-old is under team control through 2020 on the six-year, $96MM extension he signed in May 2015.
  • Marc Trestman‘s pass-first philosophy helped bring an end to his tenure as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, according to Breer. Baltimore fell from eighth in rushing under previous O-coordinator Gary Kubiak in 2014 to 26th last season with Trestman. Those ground woes have continued early this year for the Ravens, who rank 28th in rushing, though Terrance West has averaged an outstanding 5.0 yards per carry on 65 attempts. West picked up 95 yards in the Ravens’ 16-10 loss to the Redskins last Sunday, but he only amassed 11 carries in Trestman’s final game at the helm. “The players lost faith in [Trestman] last year, and he never got it back,” a Baltimore source said.
  • Trestman wasn’t the first offensive coordinator to lose his job this year. That description belongs to Greg Roman, whom the Bills ousted after Week 2. Buffalo has won three straight since replacing Roman with Anthony Lynn, though the Bills’ defense has played a larger role in the turnaround than their offense. Still, one Bills veteran explained to Breer the key difference in the offense since Lynn took the reins, saying, “We’re running the same plays that we did under G-Ro. It’s just that with Roman, we had a huge playbook and we could run absolutely anything from week-to-week. Anthony’s all about matchups… He played [in the NFL], so he knows matchups are huge.”

NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Gettleman, Baalke

October 9th, 2016 at 8:11pm CST by Rory Parks

Bears kicker Connor Barth missed a pair of field goals during his team’s six-point loss earlier today. Through five games, the 30-year-old has connected on five of his eight attempts, and Barth has been around the league long enough to recognize that the Bears will probably explore the kicker market.

“Nothing surprises me these days,” he told Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s the NFL. So just gotta go back to work. Like I said, those are kicks I usually make. I gotta make them.”

Coach John Fox was non-committal when discussing Barth’s roster status, but he wasn’t ready to lay all of the blame on his kicker.

“We look at everything every week,” coach John Fox said. “But I don’t think that’s on one guy, by any stretch.”

The veteran was signed by the Bears right before the season, with the 30-year-old replacing long-time kicker Robbie Gould.

We took a swing around the AFC earlier today, now let’s round up a few more notes from around the NFC…

  • Ezekiel Ansah has been dealing with a high ankle sprain since Week 2, but according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter), tests have revealed that the injury is no more serious than that. Caplan reports that Ansah will not require surgery and the Lions are optimistic we will begin practicing soon.
  • Kyle Meinke of MLive.com does not expect Lions head coach Jim Caldwell to be fired mid-season, especially since he is still well-respected and even revered by his players. However, he will surely not survive into 2017 if the team does not show dramatic improvement over the remainder of the 2016 campaign.
  • The Panthers’ secondary is a mess right now, and as David Newton of ESPN.com writes, there is really no one else to blame but GM Dave Gettleman. Newton observes that the one area Gettleman hasn’t spent money on is the secondary. He has put together that unit in piecemeal fashion with midrange draft picks and older veterans who came cheap, letting starters like Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Norman walk because they didn’t fit into his financial plan. Now, Gettleman’s approach is starting to catch up with him.
  • Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com believes that 49ers GM Trent Baalke is on the hot seat, largely as a result of his repeated failure to address the team’s weaknesses at impact positions. The problem is that there is nothing Baalke can do to strengthen the team for the final 11 games, so if San Francisco does not improve on its own, Baalke’s tenure with the club could be over.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

49ers’ Brass Divided On Colin Kaepernick

September 14th, 2016 at 5:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There’s discord between 49ers general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly regarding the future of quarterback Colin Kaepernick, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Baalke wants to get rid of Kaepernick, while Kelly would like to keep the 28-year-old and help him develop into a quality option again.

Kelly drew career-best performances from signal-callers Nick Foles, Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez during his tenure as Philadelphia’s head coach from 2013-15. Along the way, however, Kelly was unable to coexist with the Eagles’ top executive, Howie Roseman, so his disagreement with Baalke over the 49ers’ most famous player is particularly notable.

Colin Kaepernick (vertical)

Kaepernick, who’s making a guaranteed $11.9MM this year as part of a deal that runs through 2020, nearly exited San Francisco during the offseason. However, the Baalke-led 49ers and the team most interested in Kaepernick – the Broncos – weren’t able to agree to a trade. That left Kaepernick to compete with Blaine Gabbert for the 49ers’ starting job, but the latter won the role over the summer.

The majority of recent Kaepernick-related headlines haven’t focused on his status as the 49ers’ backup, though; instead, the decision he made during the preseason to no longer stand for the pregame national anthem has generated plenty of discussion, both in support of and in opposition to Kaepernick, and has led other NFLers to follow his lead. Kaepernick, who’s protesting against racial inequality in America, has drawn ire from other teams’ front office executives because of his choice, which could affect his value.

“I don’t want him anywhere near my team,” one front office executive told Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report last month. “He’s a traitor.”

That was a common sentiment among execs Freeman spoke to, as one estimated that upward of 90 percent of colleagues feel similarly.

On the field, Kaepernick has struggled over the past couple seasons after bursting on the scene as a second-year player in 2012. That season, the 2011 second-round pick from Nevada took over the 49ers’ starting QB job from Alex Smith late in the campaign and helped lead the club to a Super Bowl berth. In 2013, his first full year as a starter, the dual threat impressed again en route to a 12-win season that ended with a 23-20 defeat to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks in the NFC title game.

Kaepernick has fallen off since since his halycon days, but given Gabbert’s own lack of NFL success – not to mention his propensity to run, which could lead to injuries – it’s possible the former could once again take the reins as the 49ers’ starter this season. Kaepernick got into the 49ers’ 28-0 win over the Rams on Monday, misfiring on one fourth-quarter pass.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On 49ers’ Kaepernick, Ward, Hyde

August 17th, 2016 at 7:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

49ers general manager Trent Baalke denied Wednesday that he’ll have a hand in choosing the team’s starting quarterback, telling reporters (including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com), “The head coach is going to decide who the starting quarterback is for the San Francisco 49ers.”

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While Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert are supposed to be in competition for the job, the former hasn’t practiced in a week because of right shoulder soreness.

Responding to the notion that Kaepernick has a “dead arm” Baalke said, “His arm is tired. To say it’s dead, I wouldn’t make that assumption.”

The GM added that Kaepernick could begin ramping up his activities Thursday. The dual threat has dealt with several injuries since last year, including a left shoulder issue that required season-ending surgery in November. Kaepernick then experienced a turbulent offseason, one which featured him and his representatives pursuing a trade out of San Francisco. The 28-year-old nearly ended up in Denver, but a potential deal fell through after the 28-year-old refused a pay cut to join the reigning Super Bowl champions. With Kaepernick staying a 49er, he and Baalke finally ended their months-long silent treatment toward each other and spoke earlier this summer.Read more

Reactions To NaVorro Bowman Extension

August 6th, 2016 at 12:08pm CST by Ben Levine

NaVorro Bowman is staying in San Francisco for the foreseeable future. The talented linebacker signed an extension earlier this week that will last through the 2022 season. The four-year extension is worth a reported $44MM (with $20MM guaranteed).

Bowman still had three years left on his contract, but the 28-year-old told Cam Inman of The Mercury News that he was intent on inking a long-term extension as soon as possible. Furthermore, the linebacker understood his standing in the organization, and he didn’t want his contract to trump that of former 49ers greats (including Patrick Willis).

“Out of respect for Pat, I took a little less and understood this was his team at the time,” Bowman said. “I’ve accomplished a lot since that time and made huge accolades.

“For me asking (now) for the deal, they understood why,” said Bowman, noting he never considered holding out of camp. “I knew it wasn’t a popular thing to do so with three years left. It’s basically about being fair. It shows how good of an organization they are to the players and fair for all the work I’ve put in.”
Let’s take a look at some more reactions to Bowman’s new contract…
  • The Bowman extension sent the right message to the linebacker’s teammates, writes Cam Inman. The players have learned that hard work can translate into a lucrative extension, and general manager Trent Baalke has already said that he plans on using the team’s remaining cap space to ink additional players to new contracts. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, wide receiver Quinton Patton and linebacker Michael Wilhoite are among the 49ers who are in the final year of their contracts, Inman notes
  • “I’ve had several guys walk up to me and say this is motivation for them,” Bowman told Inman. “It’s win-win situations for all us, to show guys it’s possible, but you have to put your work in and do your job.” 
  • “It just shows they truly believe in the guys they drafted to get the job done,” said defensive tackle Quinton Dial, who also received an extension. “It’s something we take a lot of pride in.”
  • “I want to thank Jed, the York family and Trent for giving me the opportunity to continue my career where my heart is,” Bowman said after inking the extension (via CSNBayArea.com). “I appreciate the hard work that Drew and Paraag put in to getting this deal done. My teammates and coaches have meant so much to me throughout my career and I thank them for helping me become the player I am today. The support I’ve received from my family and friends throughout my life, especially through the adversity of the past few years, has meant so much to me. I can’t wait for the season to start and play in front of the best fans in the NFL.”
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com was surprised at the timing of the Bowman extension, although he notes that it isn’t the first time the team has extended a player with multiple years left on a contract. Furthermore, Fitzgerald believes the organization was simply taking advantage of their abundance of cap room.

West Notes: Robinson, 49ers, Webb, Calhoun

June 27th, 2016 at 7:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former NBA point guard Nate Robinson didn’t earn a roster spot after trying out for the Seahawks earlier this month, but he hasn’t given up on making an NFL squad at some point, according to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. Robinson is now working out with former NFL receiver Dwayne Frampton as he continues to chase his dream. “It’s as hard as you could possibly get,” Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said of Robinson’s attempt. “He’s 32 as well. I don’t know if anybody could do it. But if anybody could, it might be Nate. He’s that versatile an athlete and that great a competitor.” Robinson is trying to make it in the NFL as a defensive back.

Here’s more out of the NFL’s two West divisions:

  • General manager Trent Baalke considers the 49ers to be a “draft-and-develop” team, but because the club hasn’t fulfilled the latter part of that equation in recent years, San Francisco will continue roll cap space into future years, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. Joe Staley, Colin Kaepernick, NaVorro Bowman, and Quinton Dial are the only 49ers who have been extended lately, and because the team’s front office doesn’t anticipate spending money on big-ticket free agent additions, they’ll likely continue to have gobs of cap space. San Francisco currently leads the league with more than $49MM in financial wiggle room.
  • As Roster Resource shows, the Seahawks will be fielding several new players along their offensive line — not only will Garry Gilliam, Justin Britt, and Mark Glowinksi be asked to play larger roles, but the former two will be switching positions. First-rounder Germain Ifedi is projected to start at right guard, but offensive line coach Tom Cable says free agent signee J’Marcus Webb, who will line up at right tackle, could tie the front five together. “I think, again, it’s about getting someone to believe in him, and that’s my job, and in getting him to believe in himself,” Cable told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “And if those two things can marry up right, I think this kid can really, really do something cool for us. And we need him to.”
  • Former Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun was one of the more productive defensive players available in the 2016 draft, but the Raiders will be asking the third-round pick to man a different position in the NFL, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes that Calhoun will play rush linebacker in Oakland’s 4-3 scheme. “I’ve been playing a little bit of everything,” Calhoun told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I’ve been moving around, but I’m mainly at (strongside linebacker) and the LEO. I’m trying to learn those two positions and master them behind two great players in Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin.” The Raiders have been more than willing to move players around the defense, and Mack is Exhibit A, as he infamously made the All-Pro Team at both end and linebacker.

Extra Points: Chargers, Brady, Las Vegas

April 27th, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Zachary Links

With less than 24 hours to go until the draft, we have a pretty good idea of how the first two picks will go. The real intrigue, then, starts with the Chargers at No. 3. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) seems confident that the Bolts will take Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.

While we wait to see how that plays out, here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The NFL does not see any need to reignite settlement talks with Patriots QB Tom Brady and the NFLPA, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Facebook). The NFL believes that neither the NFLPA nor anyone from Brady’s camp has provided any rationale for settlement discussions, so they are not motivated to revisit that idea. The league believes the time for those talks has come and gone, Schefter writes, after the two sides had discussed a settlement last summer.
  • The Raiders will need the approval of 24 NFL owners if they wish to move to Las Vegas, but Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News figures that they already have four votes in the bag. The Rams and Chargers would likely OK the move because it would remove the Raiders from their market. Meanwhile, the Cowboys and Texans would likely approve the relocation because it would prevent the Raiders from moving to San Antonio.
  • Lions GM Bob Quinn and head coach Jim Caldwell went to Ohio State to work out offensive tackle Taylor Decker, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. If Detroit goes tackle in the first round, Birkett gets the sense that Decker could be their guy. Decker says that he has also met with the Bills, Broncos, and Titans.
  • Johnny Manziel‘s lawyer, Jim Darnell, tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that there has been no settlement of any kind with the quarterback’s ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley. That contradicts a previous report that indicated Manziel and Crowley had reached an out-of-court civil settlement, and suggests that Crowley will have motivation to cooperate with the prosecution during Manziel’s case.
  •  The Seahawks worked out defensive end/outside linebacker Xzavier Dickson today, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Dickson, a former seventh-round pick of the Pats, played collegiately for Alabama. He also spent time with Atlanta’s taxi squad.
  • 49ers GM Trent Baalke personally worked out Clemson defensive end/outside linebacker Kevin Dodd and also brought him in for a pre-draft visit, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports tweets.

49ers Rumors: Baalke, Kelly, Kaepernick, Davis

April 21st, 2016 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest out of San Francisco:

  • Despite reports to the contrary, 49ers GM Trent Baalke insists that he is on good terms with head coach Chip Kelly, as Cam Inman of The Mercury News writes. “I can tell you emphatically that is total B.S,” Baalke said. “That’s all I can say. We’ve had absolutely a wonderful start to this relationship. There’s really nothing else to say. He’s coaching ball. And we’re up there in the draft room going to work. It couldn’t be better.” Baalke will be presiding over his seventh draft with the 49ers next week. Kelly, hired this offseason, is his fourth coach in San Francisco.
  • The 49ers have yet to sit down with Colin Kaepernick to discuss a potential trade, as Inman writes. “I have not talked to him personally. Face-to face, no,” Baalke said Wednesday in a media session. “He’s been in Aspen or Vail or one of those Colorado areas rehabbing. So, no. I plan to sit down as soon as this thing (the draft) is over with, just like I am with a lot of these players. I haven’t seen 85 percent of these guys.” However, the GM has talked with Kaepernick over the phone. Meanwhile, a source tells Inman that while Kaepernick is not thrilled with the team’s front office, he has no issues with Kelly.
  • 49ers right tackle Anthony Davis has yet to apply for reinstatement but Baalke says that even if he did, it would not impact the 49ers’ draft strategy (via Inman).
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