The San Francisco 49ers hired Chip Kelly to be their new head coach, and contract details are starting to arrive. Adam Schefter is reporting the contract is a four-year deal worth $24 million. In comparison, Jim Tomsula had a 4-year, $14 million contract, and Jim Harbaugh had a 5-year, $25 million contract.
There are a couple interesting aspects to the numbers. The first is the annual value. There have been concerns the 49ers would go cheap with the deal. Instead, they are paying off the remaining $10 million and change of Tomsula's deal, and taking on Kelly's new deal. Kelly is still getting paid by the Philadelphia Eagles, but this new deal will likely offset that contract. That means, if the Eagles were paying him $7 million this coming season, they would now be left paying him $1 million. The 49ers portion is not lower because of Kelly's previous contract.
The other interesting thing is that Kelly is now signed for a year longer than Trent Baalke. The 49ers general manager is signed through the 2018 season, while Kelly is signed through 2019. Baalke is on the hot seat following this past season's disappointing performance. If the team continues to struggle, Baalke could be gone long before 2018.