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San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh met with the media Sunday following the team's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and naturally there were questions about his future. Harbaugh would not go into detail, but he said, "I'm always available to sit down with the owner and the general manager, absolutely", and that he expects a conversation with Jed York and Trent Baalke at some point.
It is not really news that he would expect a conversation, but with one year left on his contract, and rumors/speculation swirling, there will be discussions. Jim Harbaugh is signed through the 2015 season, but the last year has provided all sorts of fodder for discussion about his future. There was contract chatter before this year, but it really went into overdrive with the Cleveland Browns rumors in February. Since August, it has only gotten worse, coming to a head this month as the 49ers season went off the rails.
The question now is how long it takes for the other shoe to drop. Some folks think Jim Harbaugh sticks around, and that this speculation will all end up being nothing. I don't know how long it takes for this to play out, but I would be surprised if Jim Harbaugh returned in 2015. The question in my mind is whether he is traded when the season ends, or is fired at some point. The only exception to this would be if Harbaugh refuses a trade, and the 49ers do not want to fire him. But seeing him come back next year having blocked a trade would be kind of weird.
There will be a ton of rumors and speculation between now and early January. If the 49ers are planning on waiting to get a trade done after the season, that's two more Sundays of regular season rumors, followed by who knows what the first week of January. It's going to be a long few weeks coming up. The Harbaughcalypse takes on a whole new meaning!