Dolphins out of Harbaugh sweepstakes; 49ers still in
This is a re-write of a previous post, with updated information. Big thanks to Mercury News teammate Tim Kawakami for helping me work the phones during this coaching search … Jim Harbaugh, a one-man coaching carousel, left the football world spinning Thursday.The 49ers are back in the mix. So is Stanford. The Denver Broncos are in the Harbaugh running, too.
But the Miami Dolphins, an purported lock to land Harbaugh in the morning, were completely of the sweepstakes by nightfall.
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports and Chris Mortensen of ESPN both reported about 8 p.m. that the Dolphins have decided to retain current coach Tony Sparano. That shocking twist followed a day of reports saying the Dolphins were on the verge of landing Harbaugh with an offer between $7 million and $8 million per season.
But, as those reports mounted, an NFL source told the Mercury News that Harbaugh had reservations about the Dolphins organization and was looking for reasons to take a job elsewhere. A separate source said the reports of an $8 million offer from the Dolphins are not “anywhere close” to being accurate.
Now, the 49ers’ stiffest competition for Harbaugh’s services could come from right down the road. Stanford emerged as a surprising contender after he met with school officials Thursday morning.
The NFL Network reported that Stanford’s financial proposal, with bonuses, eclipsed the 49ers’ offer. The 49ers were prepared to offer a package that would be worth up to $6 million including incentives during a meeting Wednesday, sources told the Mercury News.
The Cardinal’s chances of retaining their coach also got a potential boost when star quarterback Andrew Luck announced that he would return to school rather than enter the NFL draft.
As if this story needed another turn, another Harbaugh’s fate might hinge on another Stanford quarterback. John Elway, recently appointed to the Denver Broncos front office, is trying to arrange to interview Harbaugh.
Elway, who attended Stanford’s Orange Bowl victory on Monday, is spearheading the Broncos search to replace fired head coach Josh McDaniels. He has said the Broncos prefer to hire a candidate with NFL head coaching experience and added: “I don’t believe anybody that’s not had that NFL experience can make that jump — other than Harbaugh.”
McDaniels, meanwhile, appears out of the running for the 49ers job after a brief flirtation. Sources told The Mercury News that the 34-year-old former Patriots assistant interviewed with Baalke and York via phone Wednesday night when the 49ers began compiling a back-up plan for Harbaugh.
On Thursday, ESPN quoted a source close to McDaniels as saying that the coach was more likely to resurface as an offensive coordinator. McDaniels was reportedly wary of the 49ers’ current power structure consisting of York, Baalke and executive vice president Paraag Marathe.
With McDaniels apparently out, the Harbaugh chase appears back on. He led Stanford to a 12-1 record that included a 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech on Monday.
Harbaugh has only two seasons as an NFL assistant – as a Raiders quarterbacks coach – but was a quarterback in the league for 15 seasons .
If he fades from the 49ers’ picture, the list of candidates could get lengthy. Raiders offensive coordinator Hue Jackson interviewed for the vacancy early Wednesday. Speculation has also centered on coaches such as former Ravens coach Brian Billick, Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey.
– Former 49ers coach Mike Singletary is expected to interview for the Minnesota Vikings linebacker coach job. Singletary and Vikings coach Leslie Frazier are close friends and were former Chicago Bears teammates.
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