EDITORS NOTE: This article was originally published on Nov. 2. On Saturday night (Dec. 31) NFL Network and ESPN both reported the 49ers are expected to fire GM Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly.
The most important decision the San Francisco 49ers will make in 2017 won’t come in April’s NFL Draft.
It’ll come well before then, in January, when CEO Jed York picks Trent Baalke’s replacement at general manager.
The common perception is that should Baalke lose his job, the 49ers will promote assistant general Tom Gamble. He has a strong relationship with Chip Kelly from their brief time in Philadelphia and got his start working under Bill Polian. He’s qualified.
But it would behoove York and the 49ers to perform their due diligence when trying to find the next talent evaluator. It’s getting repetitive, but this is why you cut Baalke loose now and put together a search committee. A new set of eyes could be the best thing possible for the 49ers.
And you start in New England.
Nick Caserio is the Patriots’s Director of Player Personnel. He’s 40 years old and an Ohio native — already two things he has in common with York. Because Bill Belichick is busy coaching the football team, Caserio has been his front office right hand man since 2008, and with the organization for 16 seasons. He’s a former college quarterback, he’s very hands-on with players and he might be able to help deliver free agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Caserio’s turned down many offers in the past, but desperate times call for desperate measures, meaning York would have to break the bank.
If you can’t beat ’em, join em.
Trent Kirchner is Seattle’s co-Director of Player Personnel and has reportedly been instrumental in the the Seahawks’s approach to free agency, where they’ve nabbed beast defensive linemen Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. With him, he’ll bring some of Seattle’s secret recipes for success.
What about a prodigal son from one of the NFL’s premier franchises?
Eliot Wolf, son of Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf, has been steadily climbing the ladder with the Packers and is right underneath GM Ted Thompson. He’s just 34 years old and the Packers likely want to keep him considering Thompson is 63. Wolf could be ready to try and build his own name away from Green Bay, and certainly knows what a sustaining a winning culture looks like.
There are several other names who have played major roles in building perennial playoff teams the last few seasons. The Bengals have Duke Tobin, the Cowboys have Will McClay, the Chiefs have Chris Ballard. There’s also Scott Pioli, a former proven GM, who’s now an assistant with Atlanta. Tampering be damned, phone calls like these need to be made now.
The problem becomes how many of these names are going to be willing to risk their reputation to come work in Santa Clara? York has certainly shown patience with Baalke running the show, but no team in the NFL has had quite a downward spiral the last few seasons like the 49ers.
So because of this dumpster fire, the 49ers end up hiring candidates who are desperate for a job. I’m one of Chip Kelly’s biggest supporters, but no other team was considering him last January. Kelly wanted to turn the page quickly after his tenure in Philadelphia ended in flames. The same thing goes with defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil, who was not Kelly’s first choice for the job.
York has not been the best at hirings and firings. There’s a strong chance Jim Harbaugh wins a national championship this season, in just his second season at Michigan. Jim Tomsula, meanwhile, has fallen off the face of the earth. The franchise’s fall from grace starts with York botching both of these situations.
Again, hiring the right talent evaluator and leader of the organization will be just as important as the No. 2 overall pick in April.
York cannot screw this one up, which is why we’re suggesting he get the ball rolling now.