The 49ers and Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh sat down for talks
Wednesday afternoon
— and kept right on talking into the late evening. Neither side
commented on whether progress was made, but an NFL source with
knowledge of the situation said the 49ers are intent on avoiding a
hasty coaching hire and want to make sure Harbaugh is a proper
fit.
SAN JOSE
The 49ers and Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh sat down for talks Wednesday afternoon — and kept right on talking into the late evening.
Neither side commented on whether progress was made, but an NFL source with knowledge of the situation said the 49ers are intent on avoiding a hasty coaching hire and want to make sure Harbaugh is a proper fit.
Harbaugh might want to avoid rushing things on his side, too: ESPN reported that Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross traveled to the West Coast to make an “an urgent pitch” to Harbaugh to become their next coach.
Harbaugh met at an undisclosed Bay Area location with team president Jed York and newly minted general manager Trent Baalke. Earlier Wednesday, those same officials interviewed Raiders offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.
Jackson, 45, led the Raiders offense to a 10th-place finish in total yards in 2010 and remains a candidate to replace fired Oakland head coach Tom Cable.
Jackson was interviewed in the morning before the 49ers shifted their attention to Harbaugh, the most coveted name in the coaching market. He sent his stock skyrocketing with Stanford’s impressive 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl on Monday.
It was the crowning moment for a team that finished 1-11 the season before Harbaugh arrived.
Harbaugh’s offensive pedigree appeals to the 49ers after two failed tenures by coaches with defensive backgrounds. Mike Nolan, a former defensive coordinator, went 18-37, and Mike Singletary, a Hall of Fame linebacker, went 18-22 in an era marked by a struggle for yardage.
The franchise that once produced the likes of Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice has not finished in the top half of the NFL offensive rankings since 2003.
York was unavailable for comment Wednesday. But the day after firing Singletary he said of his next coaching hire: “If it’s not an offensive-minded coach, it’s got to be a coach that has experience in dealing with the NFL, in dealing with putting together a staff.”
Harbaugh spent 14 seasons in the NFL and led the league in passer rating in 1995. He later spent two seasons as the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach.
During four seasons as Stanford’s head coach, he has transformed the Cardinal into a scoring machine and helped groom Andrew Luck into one of the nation’s premier quarterbacks. Luck was the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting this season.
Fresh off the Orange Bowl victory, Harbaugh, 47, appears poised to make the jump to the NFL. He returned to the Bay Area on Tuesday night and, within 24 hours, was meeting with 49ers officials. Besides the Dolphins, Harbaugh’s name also has been linked with the Denver Broncos, the Carolina Panthers and the University of Michigan.
The Dolphins appear to be putting on the hardest push. ESPN’s report said that Ross was willing to make Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in the NFL at a salary that would top $7 million per year. Sources told ESPN that Ross and Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland headed west only after Harbaugh indicated he was willing to listen to Miami’s presentation.
Regardless of Harbaugh’s destination, MSNBC ventured that he would soon become one of about 25 coaches — counting all sports — to earn more than $5 million per season.
Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said he expects Harbaugh to move to the pro ranks. He told reporters: “When you have a bunch of billionaires chasing you around to be a part of an NFL program … If Jim feels like he’s ready for that, who would blame him?”
Harbaugh is 58-27 overall as a college coach, including 29-21 at Stanford.
Sources told ESPN that the 49ers also requested permission to interview New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. The status of Fewell’s interview is unknown. Interviewing Jackson or Fewell would satisfy the league’s “Rooney Rule” requiring teams to interview at least one minority candidate.
— Story by Daniel Brown, San Jose Mercury News
