San Francisco 49ers: Ranking the 2016 Head Coaching Vacancies

The San Francisco 49ers are once again looking for a head coach.  Will anyone want the job?

When the San Francisco 49ers last had a head coaching vacancy, they were one of the more enticing jobs available on the market. Colin Kaepernick was coming off of a down season, but looked to have more potential than the likes of Jay Cutler, Geno Smith or unproven young players like E.J. Manuel or David Carr. They were loaded with defensive talent, with names like Patrick Willis, Chris Borland and Aldon Smith forming the best linebacking corps in football –and many of those talented players were young.  They also had the most stable front-office situation. They looked to be the cream of the crop, as far as vacancies went.

How things can change in a year. The 2014 offseason ended up being one of the most draining in NFL history, with talent retiring left and right, players being released and getting in trouble with the law.  The sheer list of talent that left the 49ers—potential Hall of Famers like Willis and Justin Smith, franchise legends like Frank Gore, All-Pros like Aldon Smith and promising young players like Chris Borland—is essentially unprecedented. That was followed up by a disastrous 2015 season where players failed to develop, injuries abounded and the franchise muddled its way to a poor 5-11 showing.

So, for the second straight year, the 49ers are looking for a head coach, and at least this year, they’re more likely to make a splash. Rumors have connected them to ex-Eagles head coach and offensive whiz kid Chip Kelly, Bengals offensive coordinator and former Raiders head coach Hue Jackson and former NFL coaching greats like Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren.

To draw these coaches in, however, the 49ers will have to convince them that they have the best opening among the seven teams with head coaching opportunities, as they compete with the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. What do they have to offer that other teams don’t? Let’s take a look at six key areas—the quarterbacks, the overall talent level, the young building blocks, the front office and management situation, the strength of competition in the division and the overall salary cap health of the team.

Next: Is There Still Hope for Colin Kaepernick?