If the 49ers had traded coach Jim Harbaugh to the Browns in February, it’s widely believed that defensive line coach Jim Tomsula would have become Harbaugh’s replacement. If/when (when) the 49ers and Harbaugh part ways after the 2014 season, it’s widely believed that Tomsula will be the early favorite to get the job.
Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com echoed that view during a Tuesday appearance on PFT Live.
Due to the Rooney Rule, which requires an in-person interview with at least one minority candidate before a coach is hired, Tomsula can’t simply be handed the job. Also, the 49ers likely won’t acknowledge the strength of Tomsula’s candidacy, which could make it harder to satisfy the terms of the Rooney Rule.
Tomsula interviewed for the Vikings’ vacancy in January 2014, and he served as interim head coach after Mike Singletary was fired. Tomsula has spent eight seasons with the 49ers.
There’s also a chance that, given the manner in which the current season has gone, ownership will decide to look outside the organization for a new coach. Which, given the claim in Bill Parcells’ new book that 49ers G.M. Trent Baalke tried to hire Parcells before hiring Harbaugh in 2011, could make the search interesting.
Although the 73-year-old Parcells presumably isn’t in play, the interest in Parcells shows that age isn’t an issue for Baalke, which could make 66-year-old Mike Holmgren a potential candidate. Holmgren hasn’t ruled out a return to coaching, and he’d be a link back to the team’s glory days, given that he spent six seasons with the franchise. He served as quarterbacks coach in 1988 and offensive coordinator in 1989, both of which campaigns ended in Super Bowl wins.
However it plays out, the end of the relationship with Harbaugh will be the beginning of a new chapter for the 49ers, and the next coach will have significant influence on whether the franchise decides at some point over the next few years to pull the plug on the year-to-year contract with its franchise quarterback.