With the San Francisco 49ers announcing the hiring of Chip Kelly as their next head coach, all eyes will be locked on quarterback Colin Kaepernick and what his future holds with the franchise that drafted him 36th overall in 2011.
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Kaepernick, 28, is the type of dual-threat quarterback Kelly never had to run his up-tempo offense in a shade under three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. He led the team to consecutive 10-6 records in his first two seasons in Philly, including a playoff birth in 2013. But we’ll see how quickly Kelly can get that team changed up after a very rough 2015. And while we understand that the Niners benched him this season in favor of Blaine Gabbert (yikes), we think Kelly is the flawless coach to unlock the 28-year-old’s vast potential.
The 49ers spoke to at least one player, defensive end Arik Armstead, about potentially hiring Kelly.
It’s likely an upgrade for the 49ers, who appointed Jim Tomsula to the same position for 2015 and finished with a 6-10 record.
General manager Trent Baalke, who will remain in charge of the 49ers’ personnel decisions, said late last season that the 49ers do not plan to part with Kaepernick.
After Kelly was sacked by Philadelphia, former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho tweeted, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
Fans were hoping for a big-name coach (Coughlin) or a hot, young coordinator (Adam Gase) to replace Kelly. In fact, he went on Twitter to express his feelings about the new hire, telling all his followers, “Guess I might have to start running right now to get in shape”.
Jarryd Hayne #38 of the San Francisco 49ers.
After a dismal campaign in which the 49ers had the worst scoring offensive unit in the NFL, Kelly will be tasked with revitalising San Francisco’s attack. “Chip Kelly knows how to win”. This doesn’t exactly sound congruous with Baalke’s football philosophy, for one thing, and it’s also just hard to imagine Kelly allowing – let alone enjoying – someone from the front office hovering over his shoulder and coaching his players.
Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano hired Jim Herrman as linebackers coach and Darren Krein as head strength and conditioning coach, then continued his staff shake-up by announcing offensive line coach Hal Hunter would not return.
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A native of Bellingham and Ferndale High School, Pederson didn’t interview with any other teams.
