Chip Kelly and San Francisco 49ers Would Be Perfect, Dysfunctional Marriage

The traditional “Black Monday” NFL firing cycle somewhat shifted to Sunday night this year, including the San Francisco 49ers‘ dismissal of head coach Jim Tomsula after one season. Some big-name candidates have reportedly shown interest in the 49ers’ head coaching job, from Mike Holmgren to more recently Mike Shanahan and Chip Kelly.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday morning that Kelly’s “camp” reached out to the 49ers to express interest in the head coaching position.

Chip Kelly’s camp has reached out to 49ers to express interest in their HC opening, per league source. 49ers likely to at least consider it.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 4, 2016

Kelly was of course let go by the Philadelphia Eagles last week, and he immediately became one of the biggest names available for any NFL opening. The 49ers are expected to cast a fairly wide net in search of a new head coach, and Schefter added they will at least consider hiring Kelly.

Kelly would bring an offensive system that seems to fit the skill set of quarterback Colin Kaepernick to San Francisco, but the 49ers’ commitment to Kaepernick long-term is flimsy at best. Shoulder surgery in November clouds Kaepernick’s status right now, with his 2016 salary only guaranteed for injury, and he could simply be cut before the 49ers have to pay that tab.

Trent Baalke will keep his post as 49ers’ general manager, and CEO Jed York said Baalke will lead the search for a new head coach. Kelly had full control over personnel during his final year in Philadelphia, with at-best questionable results, so he will have to be willing to relinquish some of that power to Baalke in San Francisco (or to an equivalent person with another team). It remains to been seen if Kelly will acknowledge his shortcomings as a player evaluator, but time will surely tell as he moves to another job.

Kelly and a lost organization like the 49ers look like a perfect match. A perfectly dysfunctional match that is, and Kelly, Baalke and York might just deserve each other all things considered.

Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.