With Jim Harbaugh all but a virtual lock to depart from San Francisco after this season, the team has begun scanning the NFL landscape for potential head coaching options.
The good news for them, according to a report from Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com, seems to be that most of the quality coaching candidates they'd seriously consider as options to take over for Harbaugh already reside with the 49ers organization.
"The 49ers believe they have several capable coaches under contract now, according to numerous league sources, and if Harbaugh departs, defensive line coach Jim Tomsula and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would be at the top of their list of candidates to replace him," LaCanfora wrote.
As far as the outside the organization options, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase is widely considered to be at the top of the list.
No matter who takes the reins next season though, the only thing certain is there will be quite the roster turnover and a plethora of difficult decisions on the future's of high-priced veterans made.
"As for its roster, San Francisco currently has $149.5 million committed in 2015 cap space, with the cap projected to be $144 million, and they have a slew of key free agents and aging veterans making big money who might not be back. Salary cap specialists and execs from other teams, who have sized up the 49ers contracts, believe that linebacker Ahmad Brooks ($9.6 million cap number for 2015) will not be back and they also believe the team may have to chose between two key linebackers coming back from serious injury (Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman each has a cap number over $8 million," according to LaCanfora.
The wide receiver position could also see serious changes as both Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents and Stevie Johnson and Anquan Boldin are both paid incommensurate to their actual production.
Longtime franchise mainstay and fan favorite, running back Frank Gore, could also find himself ousted as part of a regime change.
