The rumblings are getting louder, and at some point, San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York will have to make a decision.
Things are so bad in San Francisco between head coach Jim Harbaugh and GM Trent Baalke, that the two men aren’t even on speaking terms.
Harbaugh and Baalke exchange emails when they need to get a message to one another.
Jason La Canfora is reporting that at some point 49ers owner and CEO Jed York will need to make a decision, and choose between the coach that has reach three straight NFC Championship games, and a GM that built the rugged and physical roster.
The men are barely speaking, I’m told, and almost all communication is through email. Harbaugh also has a strained relationship with team president Paraag Marathe, sources said, and he has clashed with many within the organization. It could prove untenable. If anything, the impression I got this week was that the situation there is actually much worse than how it has been portrayed in the media, and helps explain the delay in giving a new deal to the coach, who has two years left on a contract he has outperformed.
Two franchises have already tried to trade for Harbaugh’s services as head coach, and the more Harbaugh wins, the more leverage he holds in the situations.
Good GM’s come a dime a dozen, great coaches are scarce at best.