49ers hypothetical quesion: What if San Francisco kept Jim Harbaugh?

It’s playing with revisionist history a bit, but Niner Noise asks an interesting question — what if the San Francisco 49ers never “mutually” parted ways with former head coach Jim Harbaugh?

San Francisco 49ers fans don’t have to look back fondly on the 2015 offseason. It was one of the worst offseasons in franchise history.

Highlighting that disastrous year, and the months leading up to it, was the ever-growing rift between then-head coach Jim Harbaugh and the team’s front office — all of which led to the eventual “mutual” parting of ways that became so infamous after the 2014 Niners finished an underwhelming 8-8.

The 49ers, of course, thought former defensive line coach Jim Tomsula could do the job. After a 5-11 finish the following year, CEO Jed York and Co. realized he couldn’t. And neither could fellow one-and-done head coach Chip Kelly the following year.

All of it prompts the question — what if San Francisco never parted ways with Harbaugh?

I have to give a hat tip to David Fucillo of Niners Nation for prompting the idea of exploring this topic. But it’s a subject deserving of a deeper evaluation.

Granted, I’m not a fan of “what ifs.” Revisionist history is just that… revisionist. It’s not factual. Yet considering how quickly things fell apart in Santa Clara, combined with the herculean efforts it took to get the franchise back on track, one can at least broach the subject, right?

Jim Harbaugh, Trent Baalke and the 49ers Roster

One of the biggest rifts between Harbaugh and the front office existed between he and then-general manager Trent Baalke.

It’s no secret the two didn’t get along. But they didn’t have to. What mattered most was the ability to work well with each other. At times, there were compromises and concessions. I recall reading a story somewhere Baalke wanted now-Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in the 2011 NFL Draft. But Harbaugh wanted a less-known signal-caller out of Nevada, Colin Kaepernick.

Baalke conceded, and Kap became a Niner.

This wasn’t always the case, though. One of Baalke’s biggest issues was grabbing the wrong players in free agency or the NFL Draft, often hoping collegiate-injured prospects could be stashed for a year, or two, before making an impact.

There’s nothing to suggest Harbaugh tried to prevent Baalke from doing this when the “All ACL” trend started in 2013. But it’s likely Harbaugh would have pushed harder for players that fit his offense, which could have paid dividends during the team’s transition years in 2015 and 2016.

Speaking of that roster…

San Francisco’s En-Masse Roster Departures May Not Have Happened

One of the knocks against Harbaugh is his abrasiveness. Some have called this the primary reason he never stayed put at a coaching job for a long time. Great at turning programs around, yes, where the grit and fiery personality can work wonders. But not necessarily what’s needed for sustained success.

San Francisco 49ers

Yet only one report ever emerged of Harbaugh “wearing out his welcome” with the players. It came from former 49ers offensive guard Alex Boone, who said the following back in April of 2015:

"He does a great job of giving you that spark, that initial boom. But after a while, you just want to kick his ass. … He just keeps pushing you, and you’re like, “Dude, we got over the mountain. Stop. Let go.” He kind of wore out his welcome.I think he just pushed guys too far. He wanted too much, demanded too much, expected too much. You know, “We gotta go out and do this. We gotta go out and do this. We gotta go out and do this.” And you’d be like, “This guy might be clinically insane.”"

Perhaps. But that’s just one player.

Boone stuck around in San Francisco for another season. But linebacker Patrick Willis and right tackle Anthony Davis both retired. So did promising young linebacker Chris Borland after his rookie season, as well as veteran defensive end Justin Smith. Running back Frank Gore and wide receiver Michael Crabtree departed via free agency.

Who knows if any of these names would have stuck around. Yet it’s not hard to fathom many of these players saw the proverbial “writing on the wall” that the 49ers were inevitably heading towards mediocrity in a hurry.

Perhaps Harbaugh staying changes that.

What Would Have Happened in 2015 and Beyond?

Harbaugh was, and always has been, exceptionally loyal to his players. Coaching staffs too.

All this meant we would have seen campaigns in 2015 and 2016 featuring Kaepernick under center, as well as offensive coordinator Greg Roman calling plays.

Remember, there was a complex network of play-calling between Roman, Harbaugh and Kaepernick, often resulting in costly delay-of-game penalties. Those would be more common. And those frustrated with Roman’s inefficiency at times would have continued to be so.

Roman and Harbaugh’s offense would have remained a run-first unit. But an aging one. And while we’ll never know if Kap’s apparent regression in 2015 would have continued had Harbaugh not left, it’s reasonable to assume the former quarterback wouldn’t have played anywhere near his 2012 and 2013 forms.

Likewise, the Niners defense would have been older, less effective. And remember the lack of Baalke’s effective draft picks between 2012 and 2015?

Those would have hindered the roster and failed to replace aging veterans, even if they would have hung around a few seasons longer.

So, in all likelihood, San Francisco’s demise could have still taken place. Harbaugh probably would have kept the team together a bit longer, yet Baalke’s poor roster handling would have meant many star players would not have been adequately replaced.

Next: Trent Baalke's 20 best NFL Draft picks with the 49ers

What does it equate to? Instead of the 49ers falling like a rock in 2015, they would have slowly deteriorated into mediocrity. Head coach Kyle Shanahan would have likely signed on elsewhere ( a moot point, if Harbaugh stayed through the present day) in 2017, and the team’s future would be who knows where.