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San Francisco 49ers: 2016 Fallout Completely on the Shoulders of CEO Jed York

By Peter Panacy

January 1, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers fans hold up a sign for owner Jed York before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 1, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers fans hold up a sign for owner Jed York before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The San Francisco 49ers tied a franchise-low 2-14 mark for the fourth time in team history. And while the front office goes through changes, the entirety of this debacle falls on the shoulders of CEO Jed York.

2-14.

Let that record sink in for a second. It’s the fourth time the San Francisco 49ers have reached such a low mark and the second time it’s happened during the York-era ownership.

But this time, it’s the direct result of CEO Jed York.

York can fire general manager Trent Baalke. York can even fire head coach Chip Kelly. Yet the reality is these problems stem from the top.

Fans know the story — York sided with Baalke when the latter was feuding with former head coach Jim Harbaugh. York then backed then-defensive coordinator Jim Tomsula for head coach, calling Tomsula’s promotion comparable to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors hiring Steve Kerr.

It wasn’t. The Niners stunk last year. And they’re even worse now.

As our friend Al Sacco of 49ers Web Zone pointed out, York backed himself into a corner this season. Sacco wrote:

"The conclusions he’ll have to come to with be both difficult and expensive, and it’s a situation I would assume no NFL owner would want to find themselves in. Don’t feel sorry for Jed though, as he’s not worth any of your sympathy. Often in life, you bear the brunt of your choices, and that’s where Mr. York finds himself at the moment. These are his mistakes, his shortsightedness that’s painted him into this corner."

Precisely.

Jed York and the 49ers Head-Coaching Debacle

Remember when York said Kelly would be here for a “long time” after the head coach’s hiring?

It seemed as if York had learned his lesson. Experiments don’t work. And yet here we are, back at square one with this franchise.

You see, York was faced with two options as the 2-14 season wound to a close — clean house and get rid of everybody, or let continuity take shape and hold onto Kelly for at least one more year.

Related Story: Niners Officially Fire Trent Baalke, Chip Kelly

Of course, neither of these two choices involved Baalke. He was as good as gone before the Niners reached the halfway point of the season. York needed a “fall guy.” Baalke was it.

49ers York Baalke
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers chief executive officer Jed York (left), Chip Kelly (center), and San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke (right) pose for a photo in a press conference after naming Kelly as the new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

And, as Grant Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat noted, keeping Kelly for another year was the one worse thing York could do outside of firing the head coach.

It’s true.

Even a member of the Seattle Seahawks, whom the Niners lost to in Week 17, agreed (h/t Kevin Jones of KNBR 680):

But all this sets a very precarious situation for York. He’s the lone constant remaining right now.

York and the 49ers Future

Blowing everything up might be the right choice for York and the 49ers franchise.

Jan 15, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York looks on during a press conference to introduce Jim Tomsula as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York looks on during a press conference to introduce Jim Tomsula as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

But none of it will matter if San Francisco doesn’t put the right pieces into place moving forward. If York doesn’t, the Niners will essentially be spinning wheels, chasing their own collective tails or whatever metaphor works best here.

What truly matters is what York learns from these back-to-back seasons of debacle.

More from Niner Noise

Handing over control to someone, a Vice President of Player Personnel, might be a start — someone to make the necessary football-related decisions atop the franchise.

More importantly though is the vision. San Francisco hasn’t had one since the Harbaugh years. And even that vision didn’t jive with the front office.

Here’s a point of hope though. York doesn’t have to look hard to see the frustration, shame and embarrassment the entirety of the NFL sees within the organization. And while the dollars continue to pour in, the threshold of change has been reached.

Next: Trent Baalke Confirms He's Been Fired by the 49ers

It’s York’s to run with. And we can only hope he runs in the right direction.