Vic Fangio contract extension joins several others, per Matt Maiocco

Late Tuesday afternoon, Matt Barrows reported that the San Francisco 49ers had signed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to a 1-year contract extension. He was originally signed through 2014, and this deal would keep him in place for one more season.

When the news first appeared, a lot of people were asking why it was only one year. Well, we might have some kind of explanation. Matt Maiocco followed up Barrows' report stating that all the assistant coaches received 1-year extensions. The most interesting line was this one: "Assistant coaches typically work on two-year contracts with deals that are extended a year after every season."

I'm guessing coordinators work on longer deals, and I have to think popular assistants also get more. For example, Ed Donatell's contract reportedly expired after this season, and he ended up signing a 2-year extension. That would seem to mean the entire coaching staff is signed through the 2015 season.

Fittingly enough, that is when Jim Harbaugh's contract is set to expire. There has been no further word of contract negotiations. I suspect this will play out through 2014, and any contract extension would happen shortly after the 2014 season. If the 49ers win the Super Bowl, I think an extension is fairly easy to hammer out. The big question if what happens if they don't win a Super Bowl (not that we want to consider it!). All parties involved are mature enough to work through the 2015 season, but negotiating an extension without the Lombardi in hand could prove difficult.