The San Francisco 49ers announced on Thursday that they have reached an agreement with Chip Kelly.
Niners CEO Jed York broke the news on Twitter as rumors were swirling about San Francisco having narrowed its search down to Kelly and Mike Shanahan.
After a thorough search, Trent & I are thrilled to announce Chip Kelly as the new #HeadCoach of the @49ers
— Jed York (@JedYork) January 14, 2016
The hire is a bit of a surprise, especially considering the way things ended with Jim Harbaugh. Many felt that Harbaugh was not successful at the professional level because he did not respect the input of his players and was too much of a dictator. Those are precisely the issues Kelly had in Philadelphia that resulted in him losing his job.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Colin Kaepernick, as Kelly has a history of success with mobile quarterbacks. Reports that indicated Kaepernick’s time in the Bay Area was all but over may have been a bit premature.
Given some of the nasty stuff we heard about Kelly since he was fired, it was hardly a given that another NFL team would give him a shot right away. The 49ers are apparently confident he has learned from his mistakes in Philly and can make it work.
