Trent Baalke - Pro Football Rumors

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).

Extra Points: Jack, Fitzpatrick, 49ers, Texans

April 16th, 2016 at 12:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL on this Saturday afternoon…

Former NFL team physician David J. Chao tweeted that he wouldn’t be surprised if NFL prospect Myles Jack falls in the draft due to medical concerns. While the linebacker has recovered from a meniscus tear, Chao notes that there will still be worries of articular cartilage.
If the Jets make a move into the top-10 to select either Carson Wentz or Jared Goff, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini is skeptical that Ryan Fitzpatrick would want to return. By giving up an assortment of assets, the team would essentially be handing the rookie quarterback the keys to the organization. However, Cimini notes that the Jets could also take the unconventional route and let their young signal-caller sit on the bench.
There are already rumblings that 49ers general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly aren’t getting along. However, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee isn’t buying these rumors, noting that the pair looked relatively “chummy” at a recent pro day.
The Texans have interest in Oklahoma wideout Sterling Shepard, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The senior compiled 86 catches for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns during his final season at Baylor. Houston has also expressed interest in Baylor receiver Corey Coleman and Notre Dame wideout Will Fuller.

Extra Points: 49ers, Chiefs, Suggs, Pats

April 1st, 2016 at 10:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

We learned in late February that 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis was set to apply for reinstatement after taking a hiatus from football last season. That still hasn’t happened yet, but Davis tweeted Friday that he’ll file for reinstatement “later this year.” Interestingly, Davis added that “[d]ealing with Trent is giving me a headache.” That’s likely a reference to 49ers general manager Trent Baalke. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Davis is trying to goad the Baalke-led Niners into releasing him. The 26-year-old is under 49ers control through 2019.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

The Chiefs announced a slew of changes to their coaching staff Friday, Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports. One of the moves was to promote Britt Reid, head coach Andy Reid‘s son, to defensive line coach. Britt Reid was the Chiefs’ assistant D-line coach last season and will take over for Tommy Brasher, whom the team shifted to special projects. The Chiefs also elevated Al Harris from assistant defensive backs coach to secondary coach. He’ll mostly work with cornerbacks, per Paylor. Further, assistant quarterbacks coach Corey Matthaei will add offensive line assistant to his title and assistant linebackers coach Mark DeLeone will take on a greater defensive role. The club also hired Joe Bleymaier (offensive quality control), Taylor Embree (defensive assistant), Mike Smith (assistant defensive line coach), and Devin Woodhouse and Ryan Reynolds (strength and conditioning).
Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs pleaded not guilty Friday to a pair of misdemeanor charges stemming from a one-car accident last month, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Suggs was arrested by Arizona police and charged with driving on a suspended license and failure to notify after striking a fixture. He could face up to six months in jail if found guilty, though Zrebiec notes that this type of violation is usually handled with fines. Some form of punishment from the league is also a possibility for Suggs.
One of Suggs’ ex-teammates, free agent receiver Tandon Doss, ran routes and caught passes at Indiana’s pro day on Friday and is hoping to sign with a team, Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com writes. Doss caught 26 passes in 29 games with Baltimore from 2012-13. He hasn’t suited up for a game since. Doss’ previous club, Jacksonville, cut him last summer.
In draft news, the Patriots observed two offensive linemen – tackle Clay DeBord and guard Aaron Neary – at Eastern Washington’s pro day, according to Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. Both figure to be Day 3 picks or undrafted free agents.

Extra Points: Manning, Hayne, Raiders, Eagles

January 31st, 2016 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers tried to lean on then-defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s familiarity with Peyton Manning as a recruitment tool when they, the Titans and Broncos were finalists for the then-free agent’s services, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Fangio, the Bears’ current DC and then the 49ers’ defensive boss, was the Colts’ defensive coordinator under Jim Mora from 1999-01 and recalled the back-and-forths he had with the wunderkind quarterback during their time in Indianapolis. The two would verbally jostle in practices if Manning felt the defense was playing the wrong coverage, and Fangio would counter that the practices weren’t geared only to Manning success.

Fangio thought a 49ers talented defense that had the team on the cusp of Super Bowl XLVI the season prior would be the then-36-year-old quarterback’s ticket to another championship.

“When we were talking to him about coming to the 49ers,” Fangio told Branch, “I told him we’d let him win in practice if he signed.”

Manning will play in the 49ers’ stadium Sunday, doing so in a non-preseason setting for the first time since since joining the Broncos.

Here’s the latest from around the league as the Pro Bowl’s conclusion leaves just one game remaining in the 2015 season.

Trent Baalke still sees a place for ex-rugby standout Jarryd Hayne on the 49ers even after a regime change, Michael Chammas of the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald reports. “[Chip Kelly is] excited to get his hands on him, the whole coaching staff is. We’ll find out in short order who fits and who doesn’t fit,” Baalke told Chammas. The Sydney-based reporter notes Hayne’s 2016 season will determine if he returns to the National Rugby League after that, with the 28-year-old being waived by the 49ers last season and re-signed to the team’s practice squad. “I think that there were enough signs that he was still ways away in respect to development, that we felt there was a good chance he would make it through waivers and we’d be able to put him on our practice,” Baalke said of the soon-to-be-28-year-old running back.
Ryan Clady earlier today said he’d be willing to rework his contract to help the Broncos, which would increase his chances of being on the team for a ninth season. Entering his age-30 campaign off of two season-ending injuries in three seasons, Clady intimated to Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press he’s ready for offseason work after undergoing surgery in June 2015, but said the Broncos may want him to skip OTAs to be ready for training camp. A former first-team All-Pro, Clady tore his ACL during OTAs last season, prompting the Broncos to sign current left tackle Ryan Harris as an emergency replacement.
The NFL doesn’t see Oakland coming up with a viable stadium plan in the near future, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets. The Raiders are scouring the Pacific Time Zone for other avenues and haven’t discussed a new stadium since the owners’ meetings Jan. 12.
Sam Bradford faces a complex decision on whether to return to the Eagles, and the Texans will be their primary competition, should the seventh-year former No. 1 overall pick reach free agency, the Philadelphia Daily News writes. Paul Domowitch writes the Kelly trade target will depart due to the Texans having a superior defense and Doug Pederson‘s arrival negating the familiarity edge for the Eagles, while John Smallwood notes the Broncos could be in play, should they decide Brock Osweiler won’t be enough to keep them in the Super Bowl conversation. Overall, 11 of the 19 Daily News staffers polled, however, indicated Bradford would be back on the Eagles in ’16.

West Rumors: St. Louis, Chiefs, Kaepernick

January 23rd, 2016 at 4:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

More than a week after St. Louis lost the Rams after 21 seasons, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon fired back at the NFL, via David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Part of the task force that assembled a plan for a new stadium in St. Louis, Nixon charged the NFL with making up reasons to move the team to Los Angeles.

“It was very disappointing that we followed the guidelines, did what folks said, and that wasn’t enough here,” Nixon said. “When you look at everything that was done, we met the guidelines.”

The league countered by noting how much time the league spent helping cities plan their stadiums and “took a tremendous amount of information into account before making their decision.”

Stan Kroenke‘s Inglewood stadium cost has now risen to a stadium-record $2.66 billion, Hunn reports, and Nixon remains focused on trying to recoup the $16MM St. Louis spent on planning for the Rams’ prospective next riverfront stadium.

Here is the latest from the Western divisions.

The Chiefs will begin marketing in the St. Louis area in an attempt to reach out to the fans left without a local team by the Rams’ exit, according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Although St. Louis is a baseball-centric city, Chiefs president Mark Donovan said the team will strategically go about seeking out new fans on the eastern side of the state that are now without a football team. Believe it or not, Donovan said Indianapolis has reached out to St. Louis about welcoming Rams fans under the Colts umbrella, and the Chiefs are hoping more of their contests will be available regionally in St. Louis now that 16 new time slots should be available.
In an expansive look at assessing which free agents the Chiefs will keep and in what order they should address doing so, Paylor lists Eric Berry and Derrick Johnson as the team’s top two free agents to consider keeping. Tamba Hali, Sean Smith and Jaye Howard round out the top five, with Joel Corry of CBSSports.com painting Smith as a highest-bidder defector. “He’s also a guy that was in the worst free agent cornerback market in recent memory (in 2013). Nobody his year got over $6 million a year, so he’s not taking a discount,” Corry told Paylor. … I think he’s wearing silver and black next year. He’s a big corner, and (defensive coordinator) Ken Norton comes from Seattle, and they love big corners.” As for Berry, Corry expects the 27-year-old comeback player of the year candidate to be the top safety on the market and command a guarantee in the neighborhood of those given to Devin McCourty ($28.5MM) and Earl Thomas ($27.72MM). The former agent also notes the Chiefs, as they did with Jeremy Maclin last year, can backload the deal and give Berry around a $3.5MM cap figure in 2016 in an effort to help the team work toward keeping some of its defensive stars.
49ers GM Trent Baalke effectively pumped the brakes on those assuming a Chip Kelly–Colin Kaepernick union’s too promising to pass up, according to a CSNCalifornia.com report. “We’ve got two guys. Blaine (Gabbert) stepped in and did some awfully good things,” Baalke told 95.7 The Game in a radio interview. “Obviously, Colin has done a lot of good things through his career here. And Chip’s looking forward to getting together with both of them, and getting them on the field, and putting them into his system, and going to work.” Kelly’s already reached out to Kaepernick in an introductory manner, but Baalke isn’t ready to write off the 26-year-old Gabbert yet. Gabbert finished his audition with 10 touchdown passes, seven interceptions and a 63.1% completion rate. It marked the only time in his career the former first-round pick connected on more than 59% of his throws. Should the 49ers keep the 28-year-old Kaepernick on their roster past April 1, the embattled quarterback will have a team-high $15.89MM cap number. Gabbert’s set to make $1.75MM in base salary in 2016.

49ers To Hire Chip Kelly

January 15th, 2016 at 7:43am CST by Zachary Links

FRIDAY, 7:43am: Kelly’s deal will the 49ers will be worth $24MM over four years, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

THURSDAY, 12:35pm: After a lengthy search which included a number of high profile names, the 49ers found their man. The Niners have hired Chip Kelly as their new head coach, CEO Jed York announced.

“After a thorough search, Trent & I are thrilled to announce Chip Kelly as the new #HeadCoach of the @49ers,” York tweeted on Thursday.

Kelly is a bold and interesting hire for San Francisco. The former Eagles head coach has long been said to be fond of quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Kelly’s ideal offense would feature a mobile signal caller like No. 7. After a disastrous 2015, Kaepernick’s future with San Francisco has been in question. Understudy Blaine Gabbert finished ’15 as the team’s starting QB. Now, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him once again as the focal point of the 49ers’ offense.

Kelly will have to comfortably co-exist with general manager Trent Baalke and York in San Francisco. Kelly’s departure from Philadelphia stemmed in part from him wearing out his welcome within the organization, having been at odds with former Eagles GM Howie Roseman. Baalke will in fact remain in charge of personnel, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Kelly was fired last year at the end of his third season coaching the Eagles. During his three seasons as Eagles head coach, Kelly had a solid 26-21 record. However, after consecutive 10-6 seasons, the wheels came off a little this year, as the new-look roster, which was supposedly tailored to Kelly’s vision, struggled to produce on the field. Although Kelly only took over final say of Philadelphia’s roster moves from Roseman a year ago, he influenced the team’s moves before then as well, and many talented players left town after not always seeing eye to eye with the head coach. DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, and Evan Mathis are a few of the players that have departed within the last couple years.

Kelly takes over a job that became available when the 49ers sacked Jim Tomsula earlier this month. 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. The 49ers will not have an introductory press conference with Kelly until next week, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee tweets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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.