Chip Kelly is fired. Again.
Two hours after Kelly’s 49ers finished their season at 2-14, the team announced that Kelly has been fired. It’s the second year in a row that Kelly has been fired, after he was fired by the Eagles last year. It’s also the second year in a row that the 49ers have fired their coach after just one season, having done the same to Jim Tomsula last year.
“Chip has my gratitude for the job he did this year, navigating the team through some adverse circumstances,” 49ers owner Jed York said in a statement. “I look forward to watching his career continue to unfold, and wish him and Jill great success in life.”
The 49ers also confirmed that G.M. Trent Baalke was fired.
Kelly’s future in coaching is a major question in the football world. At Oregon, Kelly was considered perhaps the single most innovative coach in the entire sport. But in the NFL he’s been a major disappointment. It remains to be seen whether his next job will be in the NFL or in college, and whether he’ll get another head coaching job or whether he’ll have to settle for being an offensive coordinator.
The 49ers will now begin the search for a new G.M. and then a new coach.
