The San Francisco 49ers have moved on from head coach Jim Harbaugh and now the team may look at head coach targets in Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels, Adam Gase, Kyle Shanahan, Dan Quinn or Todd Bowles, as those names have all been mentioned in connection with openings, which now include the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders along with the Niners.
The 49ers decided to part ways with Harbaugh despite the fact that he won 44 games with the team over four seasons. ESPN.com reported that the two sides decided to mutually split after the way this season went and there were numerous reports about discord between Harbaugh and the front office. The 49ers now have a number of coaching candidates they want to look at and ESPN.com reporter Adam Schefter says that both Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Seahawks coordinator Dan Quinn are targets for the team.
The 49ers went 8-8 this season and that wasn't good enough for the front office to keep Harbaugh, but to hear some tell it, there was no way Harbaugh was staying unless he won the Super Bowl this season. The Michigan job looks like a done deal and now the team has high expectations to meet with whoever they bring in next. Harbaugh came in and changed the culture of the 49ers and now they have a new billion dollar facility and their luster back after years of mediocrity.
Gruden is always considered an option and he goes into this group because he is a high profile name, but based on his past comments, he isn't leaving TV. Harbaugh helped build this team back after years of being terrible and now the Niners could bring in his replacement someone who has never been an NFL head coach. The team is planning to talk with Josh McDaniels, Bowles and Quinn, while names like Gase and both Shanahan's also could be options.
Shanahan has connections to San Francisco, while Quinn has put together one of the best defenses in the league in Seattle. Bowles has done the same in Arizona and those two likely are at the top of the list. Gase has been fantastic working with Peyton Manning over the past couple years, as he has put the Broncos in position to be contenders with how he has called things. McDaniels has also done a very good job with the Patriots and while his first go around with the Broncos as head coach wasn't great, he could be a fit in San Francisco.
Last season the 49ers dealt with a ton of injuries on defense and yet still finished with one of the top units in the league. The team was ranked in the top five in passing yards allowed per game and in the top 10 in rushing yards allowed. The team was 30th in passing yards per game and missed the playoffs for the first time under Harbaugh.