The San Francisco 49ers are working feverishly to prevent Jim Harbaugh from leaving the Bay Area.
Harbaugh, the Stanford coach who has drawn interest from the Broncos, is engaged in discussion with the 49ers, who would like to reach an agreement with him by the weekend.
“We’ve heard that there’s a full-court press there,” John Elway said on his first day as boss of the Broncos’ football department. Elway said he would be calling Harbaugh to gauge his interest in the Broncos’ job.
Harbaugh is the most dynamic of this year’s head-coaching candidates, a former NFL quarterback whose success with sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck at Stanford appeals to the Broncos, who have the talented but unrefined Tim Tebow.
But Harbaugh’s contract demands may exceed $5 million a year, and the Broncos already must pay at least a combined $5 million next season to fired coaches Mike Shanahan and Josh McDaniels.
“You have to be smart,” said Broncos president Joe Ellis. “But we’re going to be paying in excess of $100 million in player payroll the next four years. We better have the right guy for the job to coach and manage that roster.”
Another factor: The 49ers are willing to give Harbaugh authority on personnel decisions.
Ellis over Elway.
The surprise announcement Wednesday was Ellis’ promotion to team president.
Pat Bowlen, the Broncos owner and chief executive officer, had also been president. Figuring Ellis had been making all the day-to-day decisions the past two years anyway, Bowlen rewarded his top lieutenant.
Elway, thus, will report to both Ellis and Bowlen.
“Joe’s going to give me a budget, and we’re going to work within that budget,” Elway said.
Offensive need: Right tackle.
It doesn’t sound good for Ryan Harris returning at right tackle. Harris was superb in 2008, his only healthy season, but has struggled since with injuries. A new collective bargaining agreement would make him an unrestricted free agent.
“We were going over that, and we’re pretty solid in the other four starting spots that we have there now,” Elway said. “Obviously, right tackle isn’t, and Ryan is a free agent so we’ve got to get out in the market or find a guy in the draft that can come in and play that.”
Quotable.
“I was disappointed with everything that transpired this year. And I was disappointed for Josh, disappointed for the organization. But I was really disappointed for Pat and our fans, our ticket holders.
“The frustration and anger they had about it, that was a tough thing to live with, simply because there was no defending what was going on. Their feelings were justified.” — Ellis
