San Francisco 49ers hire Chip Kelly as head coach

Chip Kelly, the controversial former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles who was “released” earlier this month by the team, now has a new job: head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

With Thursday’s hire of Chip Kelly as the team’s new coach, though, the script has flipped. Kelly, 52, was sacked 15 games into Philadelphia’s 7-9 season but put together back-to-back 10-6 campaigns before that.

Prior to entering the NFL, Kelly was extremely successful as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks.

The 49ers last season finished 5-11 under first-year head coach Jim Tomsula, missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

“After a thorough search, Trent and I are thrilled to announce Chip Kelly as the new HeadCoach of the @49ers”, York tweeted. That’s because we play three more games than other teams. Asked if he felt the need to apologize to his teammates, Jones said, “I feel the need to apologize to everyone”. Kelly led the Philadelphia Eagles, which ranked third in the National Football League in points per game. 49ers assistant G.M. Tom Gable (“a former close associate of Kelly’s in Philly”, according to Kawakami) should help foster a productive relationship between Kelly and Baalke, too.

Kaepernick is in Vail, Colorado, and was having physical therapy done on his left shoulder when news broke Thursday of Kelly’s hiring.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported 49ers general manager Trent Baalke had a sit-down meeting with Kaepernick near the end of the season that could “prove incredibly valuable” as they look to 2016.

“We believe strongly that he is the right man to get this team back to competing for championships”, 49ers owner Jed York said in a statement.

One offseason question facing San Francisco is the status of quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sharply regressed last season after 2 1/2 solid seasons upon becoming a starter.

There has been thought that Kaepernick could be the kind of mobile quarterback Kelly likes running his fast-paced offense and a good fit. The Eagles, meanwhile, continue to seek a replacement for Kelly, however, all Action News has learned they are expected to hire Kansas City Chief offensive coordinator Doug Pederson.

Advertisement

Kelly will not have total control over personnel and roster decisions in San Francisco.