Getty ImagesIf 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.
smh… they cant get this guy out the door fast enough,
Parcells IS in play. He would’ve coached the Sean Payton-less Saints but didn’t for two reasons: not yet in the Hall of Fame and didn’t want to be blackballed by our totally unbiased commish.
49ers window to win Super Bowl has closed-Harbaugh is getting off this sinking ship.
Why get rid of Harbaugh… So dumb. They may very well go back to losing for 10 years after going to a Super Bowl and 3 NFC championships in a row.
Jimmy isn’t going anywhere.
49ers D isnt what it once was. Id think twice before hiring this guy. Hope the Raiders dont hire him, they seem to be responding to Sparano.
With great age comes great experience, and with young age comes fresh and modern ideas. Always investigate both ends of the spectrum and hire the best person for any job!
Jim Harbaugh got caught screaming at a trash can during the game.
Someone yelled “Jim, what are you doing?” To which he irately responded, “Coaching the San Francisco 49ers, what does it look like?!” “Jim…that’s a can full of garbage!” his friend informed him. With a confused look on his face, Harbaugh said “Huh, I guess I couldn’t tell the difference.”
Hard to believe he’d get kicked to the curb after getting the whiners to the playoffs every year he has been there. Was the Harbaugh Bowl his pinnacle in the NFL? Personally I think he’s a good motivator, just borderline insane in the head
Not a 49ers fan, but Wow…still can’t understand how the relationship between Harbaugh and the team has gotten this bad! He took the team to a Super Bowl two years ago and has made the playoffs the past three years. I guess your job is never really safe any more.
We 12’s mourn the passing of this once mighty franchise. We shall reflect fondly on our recent years of contentious rivalry as we drive the final nail into your playoff hopes, season, coach and franchise this weekend.
Excellent ‘transition opportunity’ for you to consider abandoning the legacy of the once great San Francisco 49’ers franchise and begin a new legacy with much more realistic expectations as the Santa Clara 49’ers– NFC West bottom dwellers. A formal name, logo and colors change to stop embarrassing those championship teams of the distant past would also be appropriate. #HawkDynasty #GoHawks
As soon as the season ends, the Raiders should force the 49’ers to release Harbaugh by requesting to interview Tomsula for their head coaching vacancy.
Ahh the good old Rooney rule rearing it’s ugly head earlier than ever this year. It’s such a good rule and this is a perfect example of it. The team already has an inhouse guy they prefer to hire due to his familiarity with the team and management but they can’t just hire him because he’s white. They have to bring in some poor guy who happens to be a minority. I wonder what that must feel like to be the guy that has to be the token interview and waste your time and energy meeting with someone just because of the color of your skin. That cannot possibly be demoralizing, can it?
Mike Holmgren would be a fantastic hire for the 49ers. San Francisco’s native son could return to the franchise he helped during their glory years, and he’d bring a ton of integrity to the team to help a once-proud organization recover after the low-class sleaze associated with Jim Harbaugh. They already have an excellent defense in place so he wouldn’t have to construct something out of his realm of expertise, which is offense.
I am not a 49ers fan, but this articles are just getting out of hand. Why the need to further deep the instability of a team that still in playoff contention? I am pretty sure that if Harbaugh leaves the press is going to have plenty of off season time to beat the horse, but come on, the 49ers still hanging there. Give it a rest already.
Here we go with this stupid Rooney Rule again. If Tomsula is who they want to hire, why even go through the charade of interviewing a minority? One of the dumbest rule the NFL has ever implemented.
Mr. Tomasula may want to contact Russ Grimm to learn what not to do, when you are tabbed as an early internal favorite for a HC job. #gobuyasuit
Holmgren is the only choice
This GM and ownership won’t appreciate him until he’s gone..
Sounds like Kaepernick’s days in SF may be dwindling right along with Harbaugh’s. It will be very interesting to see how things play out for this franchise–having to hire a new coach, possibly find a new QB, and having to fill that expensive new stadium… The 49ers have their work cut out for them.
have fun at the bottom
Tomsula has long been one of the most loved and respected coaches on the team. I wouldn’t mind seeing him get a shot at HC, but then the choice of OC becomes vital; someone has to fix that broken offense.
Holmgren doesn’t seem like a realistic option. He likes control over personnel, which he’s not going to take from Trent Baalke
I’d support either Tomsula, Fangio or Holmgren.
If it were Holmgren it’d sure temper a lot of Seattle’s vitriol towards SF which wouldn’t matter because there wouldn’t be a rivalry any longer with Harbaugh leaving, Seattle’s SB win and impending curb stomping come Sunday.
Aren’t we jumping the gun a little bit?
Isn’t the rooney rule more racist than not having the rooney rule? I don’t know anymore whats supposed to be offensive or not…
Harbargh is the main reason Peyton Manning decided to go to Denver instead of SF. Manning didn’t want to play for this nut.
Geez that ship is sinking fast!
He deserves an opportunity.
Not too certain about his knowledge of “X’s and O’s” in a complete scheme but Tomsula has always done a great job coaching up the d-line and bringing an infectious attitude to the group. The 9ers also responded well to him when he served as interim.
Truly one of the good ones around the league. I’m rooting for him.
Why is the Rooney Rule still a thing if everyone knows that this guy will get the job? Doesn’t it seem a little counter-productive to the minority candidate?
Manning’s dad wanted him to stay in the AFC. He’s still clinging to that fantasy of having both sons start a Super Bowl.
Brian Billick has a lot of history with the 49ers and a Super Bowl ring.
Does a minority coach have to apply for the job, or does the front office have to ask for an interview? Seems like a ridiculous rule. If they know who they want, is the minority candidate just a “token” interview? I would probably be offended if I was the latter.
The Rooney Rule is a good rule. A guy like SB winning coach Mike Tomlin wouldn’t have gotten a shot without it. Tomlin wasn’t Pittsburgh’s front runner, but he came in and impressed during the interview. A candidate like Todd Bowles can come in and do the same with the Niners front office. Without the Rooney Rule, the good ole’ boys network will thrive even more so than it already is.
Rooney Rule is another reason to hate the Steelers
Everyone else has it better
With the exception of Pete up north, Im have trouble remembering coaches with prior success and big price tags who really worked out on there third and fourth stops. Wash said something like a coach has his most success in his first ten years and about everyone who has made it beyond that has not found the same success they did in the first run.
RomoIsGod says:
Dec 10, 2014 7:51 AM
Ahh the good old Rooney rule rearing it’s ugly head earlier than ever this year. It’s such a good rule and this is a perfect example of it. The team already has an inhouse guy they prefer to hire due to his familiarity with the team and management but they can’t just hire him because he’s white. They have to bring in some poor guy who happens to be a minority. I wonder what that must feel like to be the guy that has to be the token interview and waste your time and energy meeting with someone just because of the color of your skin. That cannot possibly be demoralizing, can it?
This post and the 100% Thumbs Up responses totally miss the point of the Rooney Rule (not surprisingly).
People interview for jobs that are already filled all the time, every day, in every industry. Employers like to see what is available, even if they are fairly certain that they have satisfied the need. That’s just smart business. And for the candidate, sure, they could belly ache that they never had a shot and wasted their time. Or they could recognize the platform that an interview of this significance provides for them to show their stuff. Crush the interview and receive great publicity, which may put you on the radar of another team, one that may not have known much about you beforehand. THIS IS THE POINT OF THE ROONEY RULE. To provide exposure to minority candidates that may have yet to gain it. NOT TO FORCE A MINORITY HIRE ON A TEAM.
I know this requires a bit of actually thought. But come on, you have it in.
If they get rid of Harbaugh, they will fall into last place if the Rams can find even a decent QB for next year. Bad move. They need to change the OC not the head coach.
All these rumblings all year long have been a distraction in San Francisco. Someone wants Harbaugh to fail. The season isn’t even over and he still has his job and were talking about his replacement? Why are we hearing about this? Check your sources.
There were times as reporters when we were supposed to ignore mouthpieces like these because it gave the impression we were creating news rather than reporting news. Sports media has very few rules or credibility with all the speculative banter put into print.
I’ve been searching the news wires this morning, the only outlet mentionign Holmgren is this one. This one is obsessed with the over rated former coach.
Holy crap. LOL! What a dumb franchise.
You’re replacing an elite Head Coach with head coach with his resume’?
England Monarchs (1998)
Defensive line coach
Scottish Claymores (1999–2003)
Defensive line coach
Berlin Thunder (2004–2005)
Defensive coordinator
Rhein Fire (2006)
Head coach
San Francisco 49ers (2007–present)
Defensive line coach
San Francisco 49ers (2010)
Interim head coach
I can understand this move of they were trying to win The World Bowl. In the NFL Pete Carroll, Jeff Fisher, and Bruce Arians are going to eat him alive. Aw man this 49er implosion is going to be a thing of beauty to watch.
The media has been trying to push Harbaugh out of SF for several years now. I don’t see it. Yes he is difficult to deal with, but the 49ers would be nuts to trade him…
It’ll be interesting to see what happens if the Saints move on from Sean Payton. I could see Payton coming to the 49ers in a heart beat.
Whenever I see Harbaugh at the podium now, I always feel he’s a split second away from losing it Clark Griswold style.
Go Blue!
The Rooney Rule isn’t as bad as you think. Technically you can call up Art Shell and ask him what he thinks about ham sandwiches, and if he grunts it counts as an interview.
Offense struggling?
Franchise QB regressing?
Make your D-line coach your head coach.
Problem solved!
A LOT of ignorance being talked about.
(A) – for those who think it’s ONLY about winning and what Harbaugh has done in the past typically are pretty blind to the inner workings of professional relationships. ONLY when a fan/person will look into this inner world will they then begin to understand what is going with Harbaugh.
(B) – Harbaugh had stabilized a shaky offense but it was clearly the defense which has been headed up by DC Vic Fangio that always led the way and this particularly became apparent THIS year when the offense was supposed to take up the slack created by a weakened defense from the massive losses of Bowman, Willis, A. Smith and Dorsey. YET…..the defensive unit actually has been over-achieving for many games due specifically to the coaching and scheming of Fangio………it’s not coincidental that the offense has been completely anemic all season which is headed by Harbaugh and his 12 “consultants” but doesn’t even lend a whisper to the defense. And THERE is the basic problem………
But those pale in comparison to having to deal with Harbaugh as a crazy person.
Hey, he has coaching experience–former head coach of Rhein Fire. Perhaps he’s not such a bozo after all.
Eric Mangini has been hiding in the weeds for a while now…I expect him to rise up, stab everybody in the back, and take over.
What’s should be more important to this team is replacing the current OC with a better one.
Can’t stand the niners, but the best choice for a coach should be Mike Shannahan..he has ties, also knows how to make chicken salad out of chicken you know what with a read option QB..RGIII played like a pro bowler under shannahan the first year. Kap is the same kind of QB as RGIII
Niners have won because of coaching staff and players, not Harbaugh. All you morons do realize they still have the best young roster in the NFL and will come back next year completely healthy to start the season. Seattle makes me laugh, this is your last season of Marshawn Lynch, he IS your offense. Better go after Adrian Peterson.
And to my 49er cohorts…..
The 49ers aren’t getting ANY draft picks for Harbaugh. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. He will be released.
Harbaugh would be damned to let the 49ers gain a draft pick from the team he’d be going to…because HE has to approve all trades.
It’s why he’ll be fired Monday Dec. 15 after being kicked in the curb by Seattle and after Kap get’s ejected from the game.
When that coaching staff turns over I’m gonna love to see who Tomsula replaces them with.
One of the most important attributes of a Head Coach is to evaluate, recruit, and coach assistant coaches and coordinators. Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson had the best coaching staffs in football. That was Jon Gruden’s and Tony Dungy’s strong suit as well.
If the 49er’s fire Harbaugh it would the dumbest coaching move since Jerry fired Jimmy. If the GM can’t get along with Harbaugh, fire HIM!.
for those complaining about the Rooney Rule being useless here, keep in mind, there have been strong indications in situations similar to this that the NFL “hints” the team toward a couple minority candidates. They know said candidates are not real options in that location, but just getting their name out there helps put their resume to the top of other teams looking for a new coach. Situations like that have helped Mike Tomlin, Leslie Frazier, and a few others.
Bad news for Jay Gruden. Snyder has a pocket full of money to let John and Jim Harbaugh be next door neighbors
I guess coach of the year and three NFC title game appearances, including a SB appearance, all in three years time just don’t mean anything anymore. The organization needs to mend the fences internally and get back to winning. Haters can say what they want, but the last 3 seasons under Harbs were not a fluke. Maybe go ask a team like the Raiders if they’d trade last week’s win for even a taste of the success SF has had the last three years. Should we settle for a coach that’s likeable or one that WINS? Unreal….
Whatever happens I hope Tomsula and Fangio stay with the team. The S.F. defense (aside from it’s secondary) has been a steady unit for years, long before Harbaugh came aboard.
Could it be Justin Smith alone?
Good idea – hire someone with ZERO experience.
If York is so obtuse to let Jim go, he should hire Shanahan, he is a genius. He was the 49ers OC in the mid 90s including the last Superbowl win. York is so obtuse and weak he will never hire him, because Shanahan would want to run his own show, unfortunately it’s Baalke’s show. It seems York doesn’t like winners with a personality, and he listens too much to Baalke.
Thank you for this article. Very good reporting. I don’t know how you find this stuff out.
Can you tell us more about the background of Coach Tomasula?
Also, who else could be possible candidates for the 49er’s Head Coach position? Do you think Mike Shannahan or Jon Gruden would consider coaching the 49ers?
Head Coaches are only as good as their staff. Vic Fangio is the best D coordinator in the league, Tomsula the best Dline coach. As long as the defensive side of the ball is in tact, the team is fine and possibly better. Its obvious Roman doesn’t know what he’s doing and in general no one does on the offensive side of the ball. Poor pass protection for 3+ years, and most importantly poor play calling has cost the Niners at least one Superbowl, possibly three. Time for some new ideas.
clownschooldropout: I said many times if Jim goes, Shanahan would be perfect I am sure he would consider coaching the 4ers, he was the OC in the mid 90s including last Superbowl win and he wants another head coaching position. The problem is that the 49ers will never give him a call. Shanahan rightly so would want to run the show with personnel decisions, but at the 49ers the only one who make all decisions is Baalke. It’s Ballke show and York has no gut to change that, Jim has never had a say in personnel, that’s the reason of many reported multiple clashes between him and Baalke.
I don’t think Jim Harbaugh is the problem on this team. It’s Baalke. All these “reports” by “unnamed sources” with “knowledge of the team”, who do you think is leaking these “stories”? Follow the trail. Wasted draft picks, rumors of trading your HC, denial, speculating on potential HC before the end of the season, etc. all lead back to 1 person, BAALKE.
If you get rid of Harbaugh and retain Baalke, be prepared for more of the same, no matter who your HC is.
And BTW I am, always have been and will forever be a Seahawks fan.
Good luck 49ers fans, hopefully your team’s ownership is able to make the correct assessment and fire the real problem, BAALKE.
The Yorks are a joke. So mad that they imploded this season and will find themselves repeating the 2000’s decade. I’ve been a niner fan long before the Yorks grabbed this team from under DeBartolo.
I’ve come to terms that I will never buy another ticket from these idiots.