Fox Sports Jay Glazer reported on if the San Francisco 49ers will fire head coach Jim Harbaugh before the end of this season this morning:
“As ugly as it is right now with Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers, no. The plan right now is to try to trade Jim Harbaugh this offseason. He has one year left on his contract. After the season, even though he’s not going to be back, you might as well get some value for him. They’ve done it with Herm Edwards getting traded to the Chiefs and Jon Gruden was traded to the Bucs. It’s been done before.”
So where is Jim Harbaugh headed?
The Oakland Raiders are considered the favorites to make the deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Of course, we reported this about two weeks ago
So who will replace Jim Harbaugh in Frisco? According to CBS they have plenty of internal candidates already:
The 49ers believe they have several capable coaches under contract now, according to numerous league sources, and if Harbaugh departs, defensive line coach Jim Tomsula and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would be at the top of their list of candidates to replace him. League sources said that Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase is seen as a top external candidate, but the team is expected to thoroughly explore its internal candidates as well.
Also, it’s been reported by various sources that the New York Jets will make at least an enquiry into Harbaugh. They are probably just browsing and not shopping, but it will definitely drive up the price for what the Niners will get in return. So where does that leave Michigan? Their season is officially over, yet it’s all quiet on the western front right now when it comes to a coaching search.
From what we’ve heard, they can’t/won’t/don’t want to fire Hoke until the first of the year; when the amount of his buyout drops significantly. (detail here) In other words, Jim Harbaugh to Ann Arbor, once considered a very likely scenario, is looking much less likely right now.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2