The San Francisco 49ers kick off against the Chicago Bears at 10 a.m. PT, but in the pre-game show, FOX NFL reporter Jay Glazer had a notable report. He said that regardless of what happens these final five games, Chip Kelly will be the 49ers head coach in 2017.
There has been plenty of speculation about Chip Kelly’s future in San Francisco. The wins and losses are not good, but beyond that, there is the potential for significant change all over the organization. General manager Trent Baalke is on the hot seat. Baalke has taken the blame for the team’s struggles, but there is no word on his status with the team.
If Jed York fires Baalke, the team has some tough decisions to make. If they promote Tom Gamble from his assistant GM position, it makes sense Kelly would stick around. If the 49ers fire Baalke and either fire Gamble or don’t promote him to GM, would a new GM want to be forced to work with a coach he did not hire? There might be such candidates out there, but it’s an odd situation.
My best guess is Baalke is fired and Gamble is promoted.