General manager Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly aren’t just co-workers, they’re kindred spirits.
Baalke was named the PFWA’s Executive of the Year in January 2012 after he landed Jim Harbaugh, Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick and undervalued free agents Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner and Jonathan Goodwin in his first official season as the team’s GM.
[...] Baalke has since signed off on hiring Jim Tomsula, had a slew of 2015 free-agent misfires and had plenty of recent high-end draft whiffs.
The day after the 49ers fired Tomsula, CEO Jed York announced Baalke would be retained, which wasn’t deemed necessary after the post-Harbaugh-firing press conference a year earlier.
[...] Kelly inherited a 4-12 team in 2013 and led the Eagles to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth, a season which was preceded by his 46-7 record and four BCS bowl appearances at Oregon.
