Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is reportedly interested in the San Francisco 49ers head coach position, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Reports had surfaced prior to Sunday's firing of head coach Jim Tomsula, that the 49ers were strongly considering Kelly as a possible replacement.
The 49ers are clearly in rebuilding mode, as they finished the season with a 5-11 record and were in last place in the NFC West. San Francisco finished the season with the second worst offense in the league in terms of yards per game, and their defense was not much better, ranked 29th in the league in terms of yards given up per game. San Francisco's defense clearly does not have the same talent as their 2012 Super Bowl team, and clearly the front office needs to do a better job with acquiring talented playmakers on both sides of the ball.
The 49ers have the seventh pick in the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft, and some believe the franchise could target a quarterback like California's Jared Goff early, as quarterback Colin Kaepernick proved on the field this season that he is not the long term solution. The 49ers quarterback threw six touchdowns to five interceptions in nine games this season and only managed a 59 percent completion percentage.
The 49ers were clearly in need of a change and whether Tomsula deserved to be fired remains to be seen, but replacing Tomsula with Kelly will definitely serve as a culture change for San Francisco's locker room. While there is no guarantee that Kelly lands with the 49ers, the fact that both sides have interest makes this move a real possibility. Kelly could provide a spark to San Francisco's offense, but the 49ers will likely need some personnel changes as well if they want this to be a quick turnaround.
