Chip Kelly hired by the San Francisco 49ers
Chip Kelly found a new job on the same day that the Eagles found Kelly's replacement.
The San Francisco 49ers hired Kelly as their head coach on Thursday, giving Kelly a safe landing spot just hours before news broke that the Eagles will hire Doug Pederson. Kelly interviewed for the job last week and reportedly beat out Mike Shanahan for the position. The 49ers were the only team believed to interview Kelly.
In three seasons with the Eagles, Kelly went 26-21. He won the NFC East in 2013 and had 10-win seasons in his first two years before slipping to 6-9 in 2015 after he was granted full control of the roster.
Kelly's news conference is not scheduled until next week. His only comments on Thursday came in a prepared statement from the team.
"As one of the most historic franchises in the National Football League, I realize the high standards and expectations that this position demands and I embrace the challenges ahead," Kelly said in the statement. "My immediate focus is to build the best coaching staff possible, one that will maximize the abilities of each of our players and put us in the best position to win football games."
The 49ers fired Jim Tomsula after a 5-11 season in 2015. It was Tomsula's lone season as the 49ers' head coach. He replaced Jim Harbaugh, who won 44 games in four seasons and reached the NFC championship game three times.
Some of the core players from those teams are gone, but the 49ers have 12 draft picks this year to go along with potentially $40 million in salary cap space to spend in free agency.
There is uncertainty at quarterback in San Francisco. Colin Kaepernick was benched and injured last season. If healthy and if the 49ers decide to keep him, Kaepernick is one of the NFL's most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks.
The Eagles only once had a starter with that type of running ability under Kelly when Michael Vick was briefly the starter in 2013. Multiple reports on Thursday indicated that Kelly is high on Kaepernick, who has a salary cap number of $15.9 million in 2016.
Kelly's downfall in Philadelphia came when he was given final say of the roster. That will not be the case in San Francisco, where general manager Trent Baalke maintains considerable power. The 49ers' front office includes Tom Gamble, who was close with Kelly in Philadelphia before Gamble was fired after the 2014 season. That could allow Kelly to focus only on coaching.
"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. "I look forward to watching Trent and Chip work closely to build a team that will make us all proud."
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