Just days removed from firing head coach Mike Singletary and promising sweeping changes within the organization, the 49ers are reportedly close to taking the first step towards that goal.
According to NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi, San Francisco will go with Trent Baalke as their next general manager. Lombardi would seemingly be one to know what’s happening with the club, given that he interviewed for the position just yesterday, and tends to have solid sources within the organization to pull from. Baalke has been with the 49ers for the past six seasons and spent the past year as the team’s chief evaluator of talent, handling the 49ers efforts in the draft and in free agency.
The decision to go with Baalke over a more tenured candidate like Lombardi and others would seemingly indicate that San Francisco is more interested in hiring a new head coach from the college ranks or the current offensive/defensive coordinator pool in the NFL. That said, it would be surprising to say the least if they don’t at least attempt to bring in a big name coach like Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher in the off-season, as the fan base is clearly in the mood to have a proven winner behind the helm going forward.
One candidate that has been getting a lot of buzz as of late is Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh, and given his connections in the Bay Area, along with his experience as a former NFL quarterback, it’s very likely that the 49ers will go hard after his services, unless a better option comes up. In any case, Baalke will undergo a trial by fire right from the beginning, as his tenure as general manager will undoubtedly hinge on his decision in the head coaching search.
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Written by Chris Kolb
Topics: NFC West, San Francisco 49ers