The 49ers Long Road Back to Contention

Say Goodbye to Trent Baalke

This isn’t a shocker or anything new. People have said this for years.

Why CEO Jed York is so insistent on keeping Trent Baalke at general manager is baffling to many. Maybe it’s because he was instrumental in building the Super Bowl XLVII roster. That great team that made you so proud to be a 49ers fan.

Now wait a minute. Before you go getting all misty-eyed about what used to be, let’s not forget that he was also the man responsible for driving that team into the ground like steel spike.

He refused to get into a bidding war with other teams to draw in free-agent talent. He’s refused to offer big contracts. He also said that you build a team through the draft. Well, after eight games and another failed attempt at the playoffs, it’s time for a new approach.

This team needs a general manager who will spend the money. Money that has been allocated for the needs of this team. If you burn the money and your free agents don’t pan out, that’s referred to as a miss, it’s a disappointing part of life. However, at least you took a shot and that’s still respectable. Holding the ball and refusing to throw it as time expires, will always be a worse option.

He had his chance to build a better team and failed miserably. When the roster was stocked with All-Pros, Baalke should have been planning for the future. Instead he chose to stock the team with injured players who would play at a discounted rate.

Though it seemed like a good idea, it has done nothing but malnourish the healthy body that was the San Francisco 49ers. Now the team has multiple holes, and adding one star player will not make a difference.

It’s time to look forward to the future, and that future doesn’t include Baalke.

Next: Find a new head coach