The football world has been all aflutter with the story reported by Pro Football Talk and supposedly confirmed by Chris Mortensen that the Cleveland Browns were close to a deal with the San Francisco 49ers for head coach Jim Harbaugh for some draft picks. I think that trading draft picks for coaches is one of the most ridiculous transactions there is. Draft picks are the currency of the NFL but they are meant for player acquisition only. They always have been. They always should be. I actually thought that league no longer allowed the trading of coaches after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired Jon Gruden from the Oakland Raiders in 2002. Then I remembered Herman Edwards going from the New York Jets to the Kansas City Chiefs for draft picks. It's still a joke to deal coaches like this. Anyway, I call b.s. on the reported near-trade of Harbaugh. First of all, it makes no sense for the 49ers or for Harbaugh. I don't care if tensions exist in the 49ers facilities. I don't care if Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke have an often tense relationship. It's probably expected when two strong personalities have the same goal but different ideas on how to get there. The 49ers are a talented football team. Three straight NFC Championship game appearances. One Super Bowl. No Super Bowl wins but the 49ers are a stable, talented team that is a contender every year. It makes a lot of sense for the Browns. That franchise is a mess. Jimmy Haslam has owned the Browns for about 16 months. In that time he's fired two head coaches and as many general managers. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk stands by his sources. As does Chris Morternsen. Despite that, 49ers CEO Jed York and Harbaugh have both said that the reports/rumors are bogus. At least from the 49ers side, only Baalke would be considered as solid of a source. I don't buy this story.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News posed a very plausible explanation for this ridiculous drama. Seven coaches entered the offseason looking for a new coach. Most of those seven teams went through the 49ers while conducting their coaching search. They wanted to talk to 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and/or defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. The Minnesota Vikings talked to all three. Many teams did. Kawakami dropped the possibility that then Browns general manager Mike Lombardi called the 49ers looking for permission to talk to their assistant coaches. The person that answered that phone call could very well have been assistant to the head coach Mick Lombardi, son of the Browns general manager. Mike Lombardi and Jim Harbaugh have a football past from their time together with the Oakland Raiders. The senior Lombardi probably doesn't even have to go through his son to get a an accurate read on Jim Harbaugh and any tension that might be in the building. The simple fact that there is an esteablished relationship between Mike Lombardi and Jim Harbaugh is often enough of a reason to ignite a rumor. Add in the fact that the son of the Browns general manager is right there in the office of the 49ers head coach and you have a full-blown fire. The Browns were desperate for a splashy coaching hire. Especially after the chaos that's reigned since Haslam bought the team. While I seriously doubt that the 49ers and the Browns ever came close to agreeing to this Harbaugh trade, I seriously suspect that there was some discussion. Those discussions were likely pretty one-sided to the Cleveland side. Ignoring the Browns would just be rude. One-sided talks immediately became full-blown drama in the hands of Pro Football Talk and Chris Morternsen. It adds a little spice to the behind-the-scene-talks at the Scouting Combine taking place in Indianapolis. It doesn't really matter now. The Browns hired Mike Pettine. They might not have made a splashy hire but they hired a terrific football coach. Not only that, Haslam has since fired Mike Lombardi. Maybe, he was fired for talking about trading draft picks for a certain head coach under contract with another NFL team. So much drama.
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